134: Flesh Demon, Fierce Demon

The next day, Xie Ning didn't go to class but stayed in his room.

Previously in the Houtu Secret Realm, Xie Ning had obtained a total of four holy yuan fruits. Besides the ones promised to Ye Feiyu and Mu Tian, he kept two for himself.

Originally, he planned to take them both at once to boost his strength, but after hearing about it, Yan Ruyu suggested he only take one. The reason was that it became harder for an Ancient Martial Artist to make a Breakthrough later on, so he should save one for a future Breakthrough.

At this moment, Xie Ning took out a holy yuan fruit and took a large bite. A fragrance filled his mouth; the taste was sweet and refreshing. After a few bites, he didn't even leave the seed.

To be honest, it really tasted a bit like a fragrant pear.

Just as he finished the fruit, before he could react, a surge of energy quickly spread throughout his body. Wisps of mist seeped out from his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and limbs. This was energy overflowing to the point of excess. Then, his entire body shuddered with a sharp pain.

"Not good!"

He initially thought his cultivation would grow slowly after eating it, but he didn't expect he'd have to rely on himself in the end.

Watching the energy leak away, Xie Ning felt his heart bleeding. Not daring to delay, he quickly stood up and practiced the Divine Sun Canon. Each Move was smoother than usual, and strand by strand, the energy was digested into his flesh along with his movements.

Time passed second by second, and his Physique grew stronger bit by bit.

About an hour later, with a muffled groan from Xie Ning, the energy exploded. The surrounding walls, bedding, and cups were all torn apart by the final burst of energy.

"Huff... huff..."

Which bastard said a normal person would become Bronze after eating this?

Is this something a normal person can eat?

Step forward, I promise I won't beat you to death!

Xie Ning gasped for air, his whole body bright red as if he had been scalded in boiling water. Fine beads of sweat flowed down his body, splashing onto the floor with a 'drip-drop'.

Usually, he practiced three times a day, doing at most two sets of Moves each time. But in the past hour, he didn't know how many times he had practiced the Divine Sun Canon. He hadn't dared to stop for a moment; even a slight delay made him feel like the energy might cause his body to explode.

"The holy yuan fruit lives up to its reputation; I almost stuffed myself to death," Xie Ning remarked.

Little Mantis's innocent laughter echoed in his head.

Then he heard Little Mantis say, "You've grown stronger."

Xie Ning was stunned at first, but after sensing the changes in his body, he was overjoyed.

That one hour had allowed his Ancient Martial Rank to rise from Elementary Bronze to Intermediate Bronze.

You have to realize, it had only been two days since he broke through to Elementary Bronze, and yet he had broken through again so quickly.

If only I had another hundred or eighty of them.

Just as he was fantasizing, he suddenly heard the sound of fighting outside.

"Who's here?" Xie Ning asked.

Little Mantis's voice rang in his mind.

After hearing it, Xie Ning frowned and stood up helplessly, saying, "These two guys..."

Saying that, Xie Ning opened the door and walked out. Just as he stepped out, a sturdy, heavy stone stool flew past him, almost grazing the tip of his nose. A cold wind 'whooshed' past, taking some sweat with it.

"..."

With a gloomy face, Xie Ning slowly turned his head. He happened to see Fei Shanqiu holding another stone stool with both hands, standing in the yard and looking at Xie Ning awkwardly. Meanwhile, a dark shadow had just flashed past him—it was Qin Tianyu.

Obviously, Fei Shanqiu had intended to attack the shadow but nearly wiped out Xie Ning.

"Uh, I wasn't trying to hit you, I was trying to hit... Help!!!"

A minute later, Xie Ning slowly stood up, stretched his limbs, and sat on a cracked stone stool nearby.

He didn't even look at Fei Shanqiu, but instead gazed at Qin Tianyu. "Speak. The academy forbids private fighting. Why are you two fighting? And in my yard, no less."

"I came to get the moke grass. This fat guy was acting suspiciously outside the door. I suspected he was up to no good against you and thought I'd kill him while I was at it," Qin Tianyu said coldly, as if he weren't talking about killing a classmate but swatting a big fat fly.

Fei Shanqiu had just scrambled up from the ground. Hearing this, he shouted angrily, "You're the one acting suspiciously! A stone got into my shoe, so I was leaning against the door to shake it out!"

After saying that, he took off his shoe and shook it hard. A small pebble, about half the size of a fingernail, rolled playfully to Qin Tianyu's feet.

Unexpectedly, Qin Tianyu raised his foot and crushed the pebble into the dirt, asking expressionlessly, "Where's the pebble?"

Xie Ning: "..."

Fei Shanqiu: "..."

I didn't expect you to be this kind of Qin Tianyu!

"So it's a misunderstanding. Summary complete. Back to business," Xie Ning swiped the storage stone, and a wooden box appeared in his hand. "Your moke grass."

With a 'whoosh' and a flash of black light, Qin Tianyu arrived in front of Xie Ning, took the box, and opened it carefully.

As the box opened, it revealed a pale blue plant emitting ripples of light.

Upon seeing the plant, Qin Tianyu's hand tightened. He gripped the treasure box tightly, his emotions somewhat out of control. Seeing Fei Shanqiu's suspicious look, he quickly composed himself and said solemnly to Xie Ning:

"Thank you! I owe you a favor."

Xie Ning smiled and replied, "It was just a trade, no need for that."

Qin Tianyu didn't respond, clearly having his own way of measuring things.

Fei Shanqiu also saw the moke grass and couldn't help but drool. "moke grass! Many forces in the city are looking to buy this grass, and the price is already over ten million. You actually have it? How about giving Fatty a few stalks too? We can split the money fifty-fifty."

"Sure," Xie Ning smiled brightly, reaching out his hand toward Fei Shanqiu. Under the latter's confused gaze, he said, "Trade it for the lure demon incense."

"Uh... pretend I didn't say anything." Fei Shanqiu curled his lip in boredom. Seeing Qin Tianyu still standing there, he snapped, "Hey! You got your stuff, shouldn't you leave? Why are you still standing there like a post?"

"None of your business," Qin Tianyu replied.

Fei Shanqiu wanted to snap back, but seeing Xie Ning shake his head, he stopped arguing. Instead, he looked at Xie Ning, dropping his playful attitude and saying seriously, "I'm about to head out. I came by to tell you before I leave. Anyway, thanks for this time."

"Like I said, just a trade," Xie Ning replied with a smile. After a thought, he asked, "Are you confident? Any Yao Beast that uses schemes during a contract isn't easy to deal with."

"I know, but the failed contract back then was also my responsibility. I want to become stronger, so I have to get it back no matter what!" Fei Shanqiu's words were filled with determination.

Xie Ning nodded. "I understand. Good luck. If you need help, you can let me know."

"I was waiting for you to say that! The location is in the mountains of a region, in a remote little village called Pingan Village. To get there, take..." Fei Shanqiu rambled on, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.

Xie Ning grinned. "I was just being polite."

Fei Shanqiu: "..."

And so, after some banter, Xie Ning watched as the anxious-looking Fei Shanqiu left while grumbling. From time to time, faint curses could be heard from the latter.

"Will he be in danger?" Qin Tianyu asked.

Instead of answering, Xie Ning asked back, "If you were to contract a Yao Beast that is far stronger than you, holds a grudge, and is fierce and violent, how dangerous would it be?"

"A narrow escape from death."

"Exactly..." Xie Ning looked once more in the direction Fei Shanqiu had left.

The Flesh Demon is a companion Yao Beast of the Fierce Demon. What many people don't know is that the Flesh Demon doesn't improve on its own; its Rank only increases when the Fierce Demon grows stronger. After all, as the primary food source for the Fierce Demon, if the Flesh Demon didn't improve alongside it, how could it satisfy the Fierce Demon's dietary needs?

Since Fei Shanqiu's Flesh Demon has already reached Bronze Rank 7, what level must the Fierce Demon be?