7: Chapter 7 Interception

Just as Xiang Tian closed his eyes to feel the medicinal potency...

Suddenly, a golden light shot up into the sky from the seat of the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus.

As the light gradually faded, a figure slowly materialized upon the lotus seat.

It was a woman of breathtaking beauty, though only her face was visible, the rest of her form enveloped in a golden halo.

'System, is this the surprise you mentioned?' Xiang Tian stared, dumbfounded.

[That's right~ Is the host satisfied with this grand gift?]

'Satisfied! Extremely satisfied!'

The woman slowly opened her eyes and looked at Xiang Tian: 'Master, come here quickly~ This humble servant has been waiting for you for so long.'

'Mas... Master?' The address sent a shiver through Xiang Tian's entire body. 'You actually call me Master?'

'Of course you are my Master~' The woman chuckled lightly, her body swaying slightly as the halo surrounding her gradually dissipated.

Xiang Tian's eyes widened abruptly. 'Holy shit! You... you're actually naked!'

The woman, however, didn't mind in the slightest. Instead, she tilted her body slightly, reclining on the lotus seat, her curves fully revealed, her voice growing even more seductive: 'Does Master wish to engage in Dual Cultivation with this humble servant? After Dual Cultivation, the power Master can obtain is a hundred times greater than just eating those few petals~'

'Of course I do!' Xiang Tian could no longer hold back. Before the words even finished, he strode towards the lotus seat. 'How could I possibly refuse such a good thing!'

He reached out and pulled the woman into his embrace. The sensation was warm, soft, and incredibly supple, as delicate as the finest mutton-fat jade, making him exclaim inwardly, 'A gift from nature.'

'Just who are you? Why are you here?' Xiang Tian asked, unable to resist, even as he savored the warmth and softness in his arms.

'Master, this humble servant was formed from this ten-thousand-year Golden Lotus~' The woman's fingertip traced a path across Xiang Tian's chest. 'As long as Master engages in Dual Cultivation with this humble servant, Master's cultivation is sure to advance by leaps and bounds, much faster than simply absorbing the medicinal power of the petals.'

'So you're saying, you *are* that Golden Lotus?' Xiang Tian's eyes lit up. 'In that case, I really won't hold back!'

He ripped off his own outer robe and tossed it aside, then flipped over, pinning the woman beneath him on the lotus seat.

The moment their bodies touched, an intense electric current surged through his entire being, causing Xiang Tian to jolt violently.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for comprehending the Growth-Type Hidden Weapon: Nine-Petal Golden Lotus! Current Rank: Yellow Rank treasure.]

The System notification suddenly rang out. Xiang Tian paused his movements. 'Oh? It's actually a hidden weapon? And what does 'Growth-Type' mean?'

[The Nine-Petal Golden Lotus is formed from the host's Spiritual Qi. The stronger the host's cultivation, the more powerful the Golden Lotus becomes. No additional leveling up is required.]

'So, you're saying, as I get stronger, it gets stronger too?' Xiang Tian suddenly understood. 'That's incredibly convenient!'

'Master, why have you stopped?' The woman pouted discontentedly, her finger hooking under Xiang Tian's chin. 'Hurry up and continue~'

Xiang Tian didn't hesitate any longer and immediately immersed himself in the Dual Cultivation.

The golden light in the basement flickered between brightness and dimness. Time passed unnoticed. A full day and night went by.

When Xiang Tian finally opened his eyes, the woman in his embrace had already vanished.

'The Golden Lotus?' Panic struck Xiang Tian's heart, and he hurriedly looked around.

[Host, don't panic. The Golden Lotus has already merged into your Purple Mansion and is currently digesting the essence absorbed during the Dual Cultivation.]

'Merged into my Purple Mansion?' Xiang Tian looked inward. Sure enough, he saw a miniature golden lotus suspended within his Purple Mansion, surrounded by faint wisps of Spiritual Qi. 'Wait, why is she naked?'

He looked at the 'bare' golden lotus in his Purple Mansion, feeling inexplicably awkward. He simply rummaged through his Storage Pouch, pulled out a set of golden gauze robes, wrapped them in Spiritual Qi, and sent them into his Purple Mansion. After 'dressing' the golden lotus, he nodded in satisfaction.

Next, he opened his personal panel, and his eyes instantly brightened:

Name: Xiang Tian

Gender: Male

Physique: Slightly Strong

Aptitude: Yellow Rank, Low Grade Spiritual Root

Cultivation: Qi Condensation Realm, Seventh Layer

Cultivation Technique: Huntian Technique (Yellow Rank)

Skills: None

Weapon: qingling sword (Awakened Level)

Treasure: Nine-Petal Golden Lotus (Yellow Rank, Growth-Type Hidden Weapon)

Pet: Bai Yu

Slap-in-the-Face Points: 107

'I actually broke through directly to the seventh layer of the Qi Condensation Realm!' Xiang Tian clenched his fist, feeling the surging spiritual power within him, his heart filled with wild joy. 'Right, quick, take me out! Xiahou Yu is still waiting outside!'

[The host only needs to sit cross-legged on the lotus seat to activate the teleportation array and leave.]

Xiang Tian immediately complied. As soon as he sat down firmly, the lotus seat erupted with a burst of golden light. The next second, he felt his body lighten. When he opened his eyes again, he had fallen into the icy cold lake water.

'Damn it! Couldn't it have teleported me directly to the shore?' Xiang Tian cursed as he swiftly swam towards the bank. However, once ashore, he found the valley completely empty. Xiahou Yu and Bai Yu were nowhere to be seen.

'System, help me find where Bai Yu is!' Xiang Tian grew anxious.

[The host can sense the location of his Spirit Pet himself. Simply channel Spiritual Qi into the pet contract.]

'You never taught me that!' Xiang Tian rolled his eyes.

Fortunately, the System promptly transmitted the sensing method.

Following the guidance, he quickly locked onto Bai Yu's general direction and immediately charged out of the valley.

Just as he exited the valley, two figures suddenly darted out from behind a tree, blocking his path. 'Xiang Tian! You really were still inside!'

They were the two Disciples Qin Qiong had left behind!

'Have you been waiting here for me for a long time?' Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow, not the least bit flustered.

'Hmph! Luckily, Senior Brother Qin was cautious and had us guard this place, or you really would have gotten away!' One of them snorted coldly, exchanged a glance with his companion, and they both lunged at Xiang Tian simultaneously. 'Prepare to die!'

'With just you two? You think you can capture me?' Xiang Tian sneered. Before the two could get close, he raised his hand and slapped one of them.

*Slap!* A crisp sound echoed. The Disciple stumbled from the blow, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

[Ding! Host's cultivation has increased by one level. Reward: 10 Slap-in-the-Face Points.]

'You Trash actually dared to hit me?' The Disciple was both shocked and furious, drawing his sword and thrusting it towards Xiang Tian.

'Still want to fight?' Xiang Tian's eyes turned cold. 'Nine-Petal Golden Lotus, go!'

As soon as the words left his mouth, nine golden petals materialized around him, shooting towards the two.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh—*

'Ah! What the hell is this?' One of them failed to dodge in time. A petal sliced open a deep, bone-revealing wound on his arm, blood flowing freely.

'Tsk, first time using it, a bit unskilled. Missed.' Xiang Tian shook his head and issued the command again. 'Go again!'

This time, the petals were perfectly accurate. With two *slicing* sounds, both men's arms were directly severed!

'Quick! Contact Senior Brother Qin!' The armless Disciple, enduring the intense pain, pulled out a communication jade talisman, about to activate it.

'Want to call for help? Too late!' Xiang Tian's gaze turned sharp. The petals shot out once more, directly piercing through that Disciple's chest.

'Ugh...' The Disciple grunted, collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Seeing this, the other person was scared Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. He turned to flee, but had only taken two steps when a petal pierced through the back of his heart. He too fell to the ground, dead.

Xiang Tian retracted the petals and checked the two Storage Pouches, frowning. 'Only this many Spirit Beast corpses? Fifteen second-Rank, one hundred eighty first-Rank. This amount isn't even enough to make the rankings.'

He didn't linger any longer, continuing on his way following the sense of Bai Yu. However, he hadn't gone far when a fiery red figure suddenly blocked the middle of the path.

It was a woman dressed in fiery red gauze robes. Her figure was alluring, her appearance stunning, and her gaze towards Xiang Tian was filled with curiosity. 'Xiang Tian, you really did obtain an Opportunity. You actually went from the first layer of the Qi Condensation Realm all the way up to the eighth layer.'

'You are...' Xiang Tian looked at the woman, feeling she looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall her name.

'Hmph! You damned brat, you don't even know this lady's name?' The woman's willow-like eyebrows shot up. 'Listen well, this lady is called Duanmu Hongdie! Remember it now?'

'Duanmu Hongdie?' Xiang Tian suddenly realized.

This was the notoriously ruthless figure in the outer sect! It was said that once, a Disciple tried to harass her, and she directly castrated him. This incident was known to everyone in the outer sect.

He instinctively covered his lower body, looking warily at Duanmu Hongdie.

Seeing his action, Duanmu Hongdie was first taken aback, then burst out laughing. 'It seems Junior Brother has a great misunderstanding about me~'

She slowly walked towards Xiang Tian, her tone softening. 'Actually, I'm very gentle. That scoundrel named Jin Yuan back then, he harassed me first, so I chopped him. He deserved it.'

She walked up to Xiang Tian, looking him up and down. 'You're different. You've always been diligent and earnest in the outer sect, never dallying with flowers and grass. Apart from being Trash in cultivation, you're quite decent in other aspects.'

A black line ran down Xiang Tian's temple. Was this praising him or insulting him?

'Senior Sister Duanmu, I have matters to attend to. I must take my leave.' He tried to sidestep Duanmu Hongdie, but had only taken one step when the woman grabbed his wrist.

A powerful force transmitted through her grip. Xiang Tian actually couldn't break free?

His heart skipped a beat. This Duanmu Hongdie was indeed one of the top ten Peak Qi Condensation cultivators in the outer sect. Her strength was far greater than those two Disciples from earlier!

'Junior Brother, don't be in such a hurry to leave~' Duanmu Hongdie leaned closer to Xiang Tian, her breath like orchids. 'Is this Senior Sister not beautiful? Don't you want to keep me company for a chat?'

Forced to look at Duanmu Hongdie at close range, Xiang Tian had to admit the woman was astonishingly beautiful, capable of toppling cities and surpassing all others in elegance.

He forced a dry laugh. 'Senior Sister Duanmu's beauty topples cities and states, outshining all in this world, unmatched...'

This wasn't an exaggeration. Duanmu Hongdie's beauty truly didn't lose out to Xiahou Yu's.

'Oh? So I'm that beautiful in Junior Brother's eyes?' A flicker of amusement passed through Duanmu Hongdie's eyes. Her jade-like finger lightly lifted Xiang Tian's chin. 'What a pity. You're Xiahou Yun's fiancé. Otherwise, I really would have liked to get to know you better.'

'To think, a former Trash could actually grow this fast.'