36: Chapter 36 Jiang Miaoyi's Shock

"This..."

Chu Feng felt a tightening in his chest and took three steps back, cupping his hands. "Master Luoli is joking. Chu Feng merely obtained a bit of good fortune by luck; I truly cannot live up to such high regard from an Immortal Master."

This Karma is too great.

Seeing Chu Feng dodge like this, the allure on Master Luoli's face vanished instantly, as if the previous intimacy had never happened.

She slowly sat back in her chair and raised her hand in a gesture to "please sit," the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, her tone becoming more relaxed.

"True Disciple Chu, there is no need to be nervous. I was merely testing to see if you were a lover of fine wine. It seems you are not a drinker."

Chu Feng gave two dry laughs and said nothing more.

He naturally understood that Master Luoli was trying to smooth things over, but he simply didn't want to point it out.

"Swish—" A soft sound broke the silence in the room.

Master Luoli raised her hand and grasped at the Void Realm; the jade flagon in the bedroom flew over through the air.

As she poured the wine, a rich fragrance drifted out from the mouth of the flagon.

"True Disciple Chu, please." Master Luoli raised her cup in invitation.

The two drank across the space between them. As the spirit wine went down, a warm current instantly flooded through his entire body. Even the spiritual energy of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Chu Feng rippled slightly, which showed that the quality of this wine was extraordinary.

After finishing a cup, Master Luoli set it down, her expression turning serious. "Inviting you here this time, besides for tasting wine, there is also a matter I wish to ask for your help with."

"In half a year, it will be the once-in-a-decade large-scale auction of the Duobao Pavilion."

She paused, then continued, "At that time, flying ships will bring in a large quantity of supplies, including rare Golden Core-level and Nascent Soul-level treasures."

"With your authority, you can directly exchange contribution points for these items at the Duobao Pavilion."

"One of the Golden Core treasures is extremely important to an Immortal Master like me, whose potential has already been exhausted."

Speaking to this point, Master Luoli drank another cup, her tone carrying a hint of desolation and earnestness. "If you are willing to help me obtain that treasure, I will agree to any condition."

Chu Feng understood immediately.

No wonder Master Luoli was so proactive; it turned out her cultivation was already struggling to make further progress.

He looked at Master Luoli, thought for a moment, and said, "Master Luoli, I will consider it."

Master Luoli revealed a forced smile. "Thank you, True Disciple Chu."

Afterward, she said nothing more.

After the flagon of Foundation Establishment spirit wine was finished, Chu Feng stood up to take his leave.

When he reached the courtyard gate, Master Luoli suddenly said via voice transmission, "True Disciple Chu, I do not have much time left."

Chu Feng's footsteps paused slightly, then he continued walking forward.

Returning to his own courtyard, Chu Feng saw Jiang Miaoyi looking at him and couldn't help but ask, "Revered Master Miaoyi seems to have something to say?"

Jiang Miaoyi's tone was flat. "In this Nanshan Prefecture, it is very difficult for most Golden Core Cultivators to reach the Nascent Soul stage."

"Beyond the limitations of Aptitude, it is mostly due to insufficient resources."

"That Master Luoli is doing this merely to fight for that sliver of a chance for a Breakthrough."

She changed the subject, carrying a hint of teasing. "I see you seem to be one who cherishes beauty; I thought you would stay in her courtyard a while longer. I didn't expect you to return so quickly."

Hearing this, Chu Feng was not embarrassed at all; instead, he smiled and said, "I am merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; how could I dare to harbor delusions about an Immortal Master of the Golden Core stage?"

"Is that so?"

Jiang Miaoyi curled her lips slightly, a smile that wasn't quite a smile on her face. "Since I came here to guard your path, you have snuck glances at me quite a few times."

"For a Cultivator to be too obsessed with romance is not a good thing; it is a waste of time."

Having said that, she flicked her black hair, turned around, and walked toward the meditation room, leaving behind only a cold, distant silhouette.

Chu Feng did not take her teasing to heart and quickened his pace to follow, asking, "Revered Master Miaoyi, there is one thing I would like to ask for advice on."

Jiang Miaoyi stopped at the entrance of the meditation room. Without turning back, she said indifferently, "Speak."

"The contribution points issued by the Duobao Pavilion headquarters seem to be different from other True Disciples."

Chu Feng said, "I know the initial contribution points for a Yellow-rank True Disciple are 100,000, but my jade token shows 1,000,000. What is the specific difference between these two?"

Jiang Miaoyi turned around abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief, and she blurted out, "One million contribution points? Chu Feng, did you see that correctly?"

"How could I have seen that wrong?" Chu Feng shook his head gently, his tone very certain.

Jiang Miaoyi stared at Chu Feng, the shock in her eyes impossible to hide.

As an Inner Sect Disciple of Duobao Peak of the Duobao Pavilion, she knew very well that the initial contribution points issued by the Duobao Pavilion for the first time were directly linked to the assessment results.

The Duobao Pavilion had been established for who knows how many years.

Those who received over 500,000 contribution points for the first time could be counted on one hand.

She had never even heard of anyone being issued one million contribution points.

Therefore, just how Heaven-Defying were Chu Feng's results?

And just how terrifying was his talent and potential in the Dao of Talismans?

"Revered Master Miaoyi?"

Seeing that her expression was off, Chu Feng hurriedly asked, "Is there some problem with these million contribution points?"

Jiang Miaoyi finally came back to her senses, a rare smile appearing on her face as she shook her head and said, "There is no problem. If you were able to obtain one million contribution points, it must be because your assessment performance was exceptionally good."

"This situation has occurred before; it is not rare. However, this matter is important. Do not easily speak of it to others in the future to avoid trouble."

"I understand." Chu Feng nodded and turned to walk toward the meditation room.

Jiang Miaoyi walked into the meditation room and sat cross-legged.

She took several deep breaths in a row and circulated her spiritual energy for one cycle before she managed to calm her state of mind.

In the Duobao Pavilion, the higher one's status, the more one knew the weight of this matter.

Therefore, the grade of the Bloodline that Chu Feng obtained...

"Hiss!!!" Jiang Miaoyi gasped.

She had been trapped at the Golden Core Perfection stage for many years. It was not that she could not make a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, but that she did not want to achieve an ordinary Nascent Soul.

She had come here to guard his path precisely to obtain a special treasure-level item to help herself condense a better Nascent Soul.

She had originally thought she would have to wait a long time, but she had not expected that the person she was guarding was actually such a monster.

Jiang Miaoyi flipped her palm, took out her Inner Sect Disciple jade token, and probed it with her Divine Sense.

"Miaoyi."

A dignified voice sounded. "What is the matter?"

"Revered Master."

Jiang Miaoyi respectfully stood up and bowed, reporting the matter of guarding Chu Feng's path in detail, specifically mentioning that Chu Feng possessed one million initial contribution points.

"I knew it was not simple; otherwise, they would not attach such importance to it. It seems this Yellow-rank True Disciple title is just a smoke screen to cover people's eyes."

"Miaoyi, you must settle your heart; do not be too anxious because of this matter."

"Your task is to protect him well."

"Yes, Disciple understands." Jiang Miaoyi replied respectfully.

...

On the other side, in the Xiaoyao Tower.

In a quiet pavilion, Fairy Jiumiao stood with her head bowed, recounting the trivial matter of her chance encounter with Chu Feng on the North Street of the Second Ring of Red Moon exactly as it happened, not daring to conceal a single detail.

After listening, the Master of Xiaoyao Tower looked completely helpless.

He never imagined that the cause of the matter would be so simple.

"Since that True Disciple Chu took the initiative to greet you, why did you ignore him?"

The Master of Xiaoyao Tower's tone carried a hint of frustration. "Jiumiao, your judgment is usually quite accurate; how could you miss such a good opportunity in this matter!"

Fairy Jiumiao said with a bitter smile, "Revered Master, I was in a bad mood that day and was confused for a moment, which is why I missed the opportunity to befriend True Disciple Chu..."

"Enough, do not make excuses."

The Master of Xiaoyao Tower interrupted her, his expression serious. "The most important thing now is to find a way to make amends."

"The Deputy City Lord is going to host a banquet and will certainly invite Chu Feng. This is your last chance. If you cannot seize it again, I will have no choice but to arrange for someone else to go."

He paused, then added pressure, saying, "Although your Moon Wandering Milky Way is becoming increasingly refined, in this Nanshan Prefecture, there are plenty of people better than you."

"Moreover, we only have ten years; we cannot afford to delay. Jiumiao, you must understand the stakes involved."

Fairy Jiumiao's heart tightened, and she hurriedly bowed, saying, "Revered Master, rest assured, I will definitely seize this opportunity!!"