57: Chapter 57 Why did you stop yelling?

"Hmph~" Zi Yun snapped back to her senses and snorted coldly. "Although I don't know when you broke through to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, or what means you used to advance to Core Formation, I am a genuine Golden Core Master! I'm not someone a fake Core Formation like you can compare to!"

"Hmph~ When I beat you until you call me Daddy later, you'll know how formidable a fake Core Formation is!"

Saying that, Xiao Ye attacked.

"Hmph, just what I wanted!"

Zi Yun was not to be outdone and lashed out with her whip. The tip of the whip struck toward Xiao Ye's cheek with the sound of a sonic boom.

Xiao Ye didn't even dodge.

Zi Yun suddenly revealed a strange smile. Hmph, this whip was no ordinary whip; it was a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact she had spent all her savings to have an Elder from the Weapon Sect forge. Even if Xiao Ye was also at the first level of Core Formation, catching the whip with his bare hands would result in him being sent flying!

However, in the next moment, her smile vanished.

Oh no, it had transferred to Xiao Ye's mouth.

Simply because Xiao Ye had firmly caught the whip. The power coming from the other end of the whip made her feel deeply uneasy.

"How can his strength be so great?"

Xiao Ye was now smiling like a Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King.

Did she think he had burned twenty years of his lifespan for nothing? To suppress Zi Yun, he had pushed his cultivation directly to the second level of Core Formation! All for the sake of instant suppression and defeating the enemy in one strike!

"What, uneasy? Scared?"

With a sudden tug, he pulled both the whip and the person, and Zi Yun flew toward Xiao Ye.

"Ah—"

In the next moment, before Zi Yun could react, she was already in Xiao Ye's arms.

"Jie jie jie, you were going to beat me until I called you Daddy, right? Don't cry in a bit."

With irresistible strength, Xiao Ye pressed Zi Yun directly against the edge of the bed.

Just then, a wicked wind blew up her black silk dress.

A crisp sound.

"Still arrogant?"

Another one.

"Still acting tough?"

Then came a series of sounds, like firecrackers popping, crackling incessantly.

"Wah—"

Zi Yun was beaten to tears, like a helpless child, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop hitting me, I won't do it again, I was wrong..."

"Wouldn't it have been better to admit your mistake earlier? You had to force me to use my ultimate move."

He glanced at Zi Yun, who was lying face down and crying her eyes out, and his mouth curled:

"But even if you admit your mistake now, you still have to accept your punishment! Hehehe!"

Zi Yun: "...???"

———————— (Ten thousand words omitted here, entering the little dark room for the third time. I don't dare to write more.)

There was wailing all night long, a sound like a pig being slaughtered that could be heard from far away.

Fortunately, she had set up a soundproofing Formation in advance; otherwise, the entire Hehuan Sect would have thought someone was being murdered here.

The effect was also very significant.

Look, now she was calling out voluntarily without Xiao Ye forcing her.

It was so smooth, as if her mouth were coated in honey.

Xiao Ye leaned against the headboard, legs crossed, and nodded with satisfaction—it lived up to the old saying: A filial daughter is produced under the rod.

———

What followed was simple.

Under the "enthusiastic" operations of Zi Yun, an Inner Sect Core Formation Elder—to be precise, her active cooperation after being beaten into submission—Xiao Ye successfully obtained the status of a trial supervisor.

To put it bluntly, he was a safety officer.

The duties were simple: ensure the safety of the Sect Disciples within the trial Secret Realm and block attacks from Yao Beasts at the Core Formation Realm or above. As for fights with other Sects or internal strife among the Sect Disciples, he didn't need to care.

They could fight or kill as they pleased; it had nothing to do with him.

As long as they weren't eaten by Yao Beasts, it was fine.

Xiao Ye was very satisfied with this identity—he could enter the Secret Realm to scavenge for treasures without having to play babysitter to those bratty kids. Quite pleasant.

———

Of course, although Xiao Ye could now enter the trial Secret Realm himself, he still intended to post a bounty to have the Disciples participating in the Inner Sect Competition help him find golden beads.

After all, there's strength in numbers.

Could the efficiency of him searching alone be the same as dozens or even a hundred people searching together?

Besides, one always needs a backup plan. What if he couldn't find them himself? He couldn't return empty-handed.

Thus, before the Inner Sect Competition even began, a bounty spread among the Disciples—

"golden beads? What on earth are those?"

"I don't know, but Elder Xiao said they're five hundred Spirit Stones each."

"Five hundred Spirit Stones?! Holy crap, I'll dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

"I heard golden beads grow underground, from a type of grass with three-lobed leaves on the surface—called golden bead grass."

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and get ready! I must sign up for this competition!"

For a moment, the Inner Sect Disciples of the Hehuan Sect were like they'd been injected with chicken blood, each one rubbing their hands in anticipation, wishing they could rush into the Secret Realm tomorrow.

It was just that they didn't know what the golden beads were for; if they did, they would surely curse Xiao Ye for being black-hearted.

The main ingredient of the Ningjin Pill—the golden spirit fruit—already had a market price of ten thousand Spirit Stones each. For the even more potent dust-descending pill, you're only giving 500 Spirit Stones for its main ingredient, the golden bead. Truly a profiteer.

Xiao Ye stood at the entrance of the Treasure Pill Hall, watching those excited Disciples, his mouth slowly curling up.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones each?"

"In fact, the floor price in his heart was ten thousand."

"But that's business—quote a low price first and then raise it later; it's called a business strategy."

Of course, not everyone could enter the trial Secret Realm.

The Inner Sect Competition was divided into two stages.

The first stage was the elimination round—all Inner Sect Disciples who signed up for the competition would first undergo a brutal slaughter—oh no, a friendly exchange—to determine the top one hundred.

Only then would they be qualified to enter the second stage.

These top one hundred elite Disciples, led by Xiao Ye and four other "safety officers," would enter the trial Secret Realm along with three other major Sects.

Which three major Sects?

Jade Maiden Sect, Yunlan Sect, and Tianjian Sect.

When Xiao Ye heard the words "Jade Maiden Sect," his eyes suddenly lit up, like a light bulb being powered on.

Jade Maiden Sect?

Every one of them has fair skin, beautiful faces, and long legs; they walk with the wind and speak with a fragrance...

Which means—he could see the Fairies of the Jade Maiden Sect?

At this moment, he didn't think of his son Xiao Yan at all.

Sure enough, a man only thinks about beautiful women.

Xiao Ye leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, his mouth slowly widening to his ears, his smile like a weasel that had stolen a chicken.

It's been a long time since we last met.

I wonder how they've been taking care of "Nai Nai".

Have they been giving "Nai Nai" proper nutrition? Have they been giving "Nai Nai" daily massages? Have they...

As he thought about it, Xiao Ye even lost the mood for Alchemy.

Slap slap! He gave himself two fierce slaps.

"Sigh—beauty is my downfall!"