64: Chapter 64 This damn system's XP is getting weirder and weirder!

A Soul Body? A special identity and a mysterious origin?

Cao Kun looked at the notification popping up on the System panel, his eyebrows arching slightly.

This damn System's tastes are really getting stranger.

Before, it was at least living beauties, but now it won't even let a Soul Body go?

Is it trying to make me help her reshape her Physical Body first, and then capture her ruthlessly?

Forget it, whatever.

First, let me see just how special and mysterious you are.

Cao Kun stepped through the bronze door.

Following the System's distance prompts, he bypassed the jade shelves on the outskirts filled with ordinary Spiritual Plants and headed straight for the deepest part of the underground palace.

The further in he went, the more eerie the scene became.

The Medicinal Pill bottles on the jade shelves on both sides, which should have been glowing with light, were now covered in fine cracks.

Cao Kun casually picked up a jade bottle, and as soon as his fingertips touched it, the bottle turned into a pile of powder.

The high-grade Medicinal Pills inside had long since turned into gray-black dregs, with not a single bit of Spiritual Qi remaining.

What kind of thing could absorb so much?

If this were attached to a person...

Cao Kun clicked his tongue inwardly and quickened his pace.

The red dot from the System prompt got closer and closer, finally stopping at a white jade platform at the end of the underground palace.

There were no Heaven And Earth Treasures on the jade platform as he had expected, nor was there any Sealed peerless Vicious Beast.

There was only a solitary jade pendant.

The jade pendant was shaped like a half-moon, neither metal nor jade, and made of an unknown material.

The surface was carved with extremely complex and ancient Formation patterns, which were currently emitting a faint, eerie light.

A circle of withered, wasted pills was scattered around the jade pendant.

Clearly, all the Spiritual Qi that had leaked from the entire outer warehouse had been sucked dry by this unremarkable jade pendant.

Cao Kun reached out and picked up the jade pendant.

It felt extremely heavy in his hand, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

He channeled the Blazing Sun spiritual power from within his Golden Core and injected it into the jade pendant through his palm.

The spiritual power was like a clay ox entering the sea, failing to stir even a single ripple.

Cao Kun didn't believe it.

He once again activated the Chaos Qi he had just finished the Fusion of and forcibly poured it in.

There was still no reaction.

The jade pendant was like a bottomless pit, swallowing all external power without giving any feedback.

Cao Kun stared at the jade pendant, narrowing his eyes.

Even Chaos Qi has no effect.

The System even gave it a capture difficulty of three question marks and explicitly stated that conventional forced methods are ineffective.

This thing definitely has a major background.

It's most likely a sleeping Ancient Empress or an old grandma figure.

Since he couldn't figure it out for now, Cao Kun didn't dwell on it.

He found a piece of tough Heavenly Silkworm Silk, threaded the jade pendant, and hung it directly against his waist.

He would let his Blazing Sun Spiritual Root influence it first.

He would take his time to train it later when he had the chance.

After putting away the jade pendant, Cao Kun turned around and looked at the secret room on the other side of the underground palace, which was isolated by multiple Formations.

That was where the Pill Pavilion's true Foundation was stored.

Cao Kun casually broke the Formation.

Three grade 6 barrier-breaking pills were stored in Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade Boxes.

Dozens of top-grade Spiritual Plants over a thousand years old emitted an alluring glow.

There were also dozens of bottles of high-grade healing sacred medicines that were rarely seen in the outside world.

Upholding the fine tradition of 'plucking feathers from every passing goose and skinning every passing beast,' Cao Kun was not polite at all.

The jade boxes, Spiritual Plants, and even the high-grade spatial rings they were stored in were all looted by him.

He even thought the mahogany shelves holding the Medicinal Pills were made of decent material and swept them into the System space as well.

The entire Jia-grade Core Warehouse was cleared out by Cao Kun until not even a single spiritual brick to step on was left.

Cao Kun clapped his hands and turned to leave, satisfied.

Upon returning to the Pill Pavilion's Main Hall,

he immediately bumped into a familiar figure.

Nangong Wan.

With just one look, Cao Kun's footsteps came to a halt.

At this moment, she had undergone a complete transformation.

The sickly look that had lingered between her brows for years had been completely swept away.

In its place was fair, delicate skin.

She was wearing the extremely well-crafted Inner Sect Personal Disciple robes.

On her, they had a tight-fitting effect, clinging closely to her body.

They accentuated her already plump and mature figure to the fullest.

The incredible curves of her chest almost threatened to burst through her lapel.

As she moved, her water-snake waist swayed gracefully, and her full hips shifted.

She exuded a gentle yet deadly mature charm from head to toe.

What surprised Cao Kun even more was

that the aura on Nangong Wan was no longer at the ninth level of Qi Refining, where it had stagnated for many years.

It was now at the genuine Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Furthermore, her spiritual power fluctuations were extremely steady, and her Foundation was incredibly solid.

Clearly,

the efficacy of that grade 5 spirit concentrating pill had far exceeded expectations.

It had not only completely healed her Divine Soul injury but also helped her break through her body's Bottleneck.

Nangong Wan also saw Cao Kun.

Her beautiful eyes lit up, filled with undisguisable joy.

She quickly quickened her pace and came forward to greet him.

“Junior Brother Cao!”

Nangong Wan stopped in front of Cao Kun.

Because she had walked too fast, her chest heaved slightly, creating breathtaking waves.

She looked up, her eyes full of gratitude.

“It's all thanks to the Medicinal Pill you gave me!”

“The old Divine Soul injury that had plagued me for twenty years was completely healed the very night I took the medicine!”

“Moreover, even the Bottleneck I'd been stuck at for years was broken, and I reached the Foundation Establishment Stage overnight!”

Cao Kun looked at her joyful appearance.

His gaze swept unhesitatingly over her towering lapel.

Hmm!

It had indeed grown a size larger.

This investment of a grade 5 pill was not a loss.

Nangong Wan noticed Cao Kun's aggressive gaze, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

However, she didn't dodge; instead, she felt a bit of secret joy.

She calmed her excited emotions.

With a hint of shyness, she turned slightly to introduce the person accompanying her to Cao Kun.

“Junior Brother Cao, this is the Peak Revered Master of the Inner Sect's Yunyu Peak, Senior Xie Wuwang.”

Cao Kun looked in the direction of her gesture.

An old man with a kind face and a three-strand long beard was standing a few steps away.

The old man wore a moon-white Daoist robe and had the air of an immortal.

His cultivation had reached the Early Nascent Soul Stage.

Nangong Wan explained softly, “Peak Master Xie just came out of seclusion yesterday and happened to see the phenomenon when I broke through.”

“He took an interest in my Aptitude and made an exception to accept me as a Personal Disciple.”

Xie Wuwang stood where he was.

He had his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised.

His gaze swept indifferently toward Cao Kun.

A junior at the Early Stage of Golden Core.

Xie Wuwang quickly made a judgment in his heart.

In his eyes, the young man in green was nothing more than an Inner Sect Disciple who had luckily just achieved Core Formation.

Xie Wuwang deliberately put on the air of a Nascent Soul powerhouse.

He did not restrain his aura.

The pressure of the Early Nascent Soul Stage faintly circulated around him, spreading toward Cao Kun.

He stood there quietly.

Waiting for this young junior to perceive the chasm between their Realms and then fearfully perform a formal bow of greeting to him.

However,

Cao Kun stood his ground, his figure unmoving.

That pressure, which would have been enough to make an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator's blood boil, felt like nothing more than a light breeze on his face.

Cao Kun looked at Xie Wuwang and merely gave a casual nod.

Consider it a greeting.

Seeing this, Xie Wuwang's graying eyebrows furrowed slightly.

A hint of displeasure immediately arose in his heart.

What arrogance!

A mere Early Stage Golden Core, seeing a Nascent Soul Senior, actually dared to be so haughty.

Young people nowadays really don't know the rules.

He was just about to secretly activate some spiritual power,

intending to teach this rule-breaking, arrogant junior a little lesson.

To let him know the meaning of respecting one's teachers and the Dao.

Nangong Wan was very sharp.

She immediately sensed the stiffening and even somewhat hostile atmosphere between the two.

She hurried to turn and face Xie Wuwang,

adding with a hint of urgency in her voice,

“Revered Master, this is the savior I mentioned to you.”

“Cao Kun, Junior Brother Cao.”

“It was he who gave me the grade 5 spirit concentrating pill and cured my twenty-year-old injury.”

The spiritual power Xie Wuwang had just gathered in his palm paused.

The haughty expression on his face froze completely.

Cao Kun?

Xie Wuwang stared fixedly at the calm young man before him.

Since coming out of seclusion today, his ears were practically growing callouses from hearing this name.

Crossing several levels in just a few days.

His Physical Body had withstood nine purple-gold heavenly thunders to form a top-grade Golden Core.

Most critically,

this kid had also shattered Su Changhe's Nascent Soul Avatar with a single sword strike, grinding it and Su Changhe's Soul to dust!

Who was Su Changhe?

He was the Hehuan Sect's Inner Sect Grand Elder, a ruthless character at the Peak of the Early Nascent Soul Stage!

His strength was only greater than that of this Yunyu Peak Revered Master!

He absolutely could not be offended!

Especially since this kid had a deep relationship with Nangong Wan.

If he fell out with this kid because of his ego,

Nangong Wan, this 'fat sheep' he'd just gotten his hands on, could fly away at any moment.

He might even lose his own life and follow in Su Changhe's footsteps.

In the blink of an eye,

Xie Wuwang performed the top-tier face-changing stunt of the cultivation world.

The arrogance and coldness on his face vanished without a trace.

That wrinkled old face was now covered in an extremely flattering smile, looking like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Xie Wuwang enthusiastically cupped his hands in greeting.

“Oh my!”

“So it is Elder Cao! I have heard of your great name for a long time!”

“Seeing you today, you truly are a young hero, with a dignified air—a dragon and phoenix among men!”

“My apologies! I was truly blind!”

He turned to Nangong Wan, his eyes full of affection and praise, and said earnestly,

“Wan'er, to meet a benefactor like Elder Cao is a blessing you've earned over several lifetimes!”

“You must remember this kindness well!”

Xie Wuwang turned back to Cao Kun, patting his thin chest and promising solemnly,

“If you ever need my help in the future, Elder Cao, just say the word!”

“As long as it's within my power, I will do my utmost to assist you without hesitation!”

Cao Kun looked at Xie Wuwang's old face, which had been putting on airs a second ago and was now smiling more brightly than a flower.

He curled his lip inwardly.

Old fox.

This face-changing speed was faster than flipping a book.

However, Cao Kun couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

A mere Early Nascent Soul Stage was really not worth his concern now.

What did bother him slightly was

the fact that Nangong Wan now had such a 'Revered Master' by her side.

Nangong Wan