12: Divine Phoenix Sect

"Hmm?"

The Little Pitiful One was immediately pinned to the ground.

"I'll let you go... don't scream... can you do that?" Looking at the pair of watery big eyes beneath him, Chen Qingxuan felt a wave of exhaustion.

Why was this girl always so hostile towards him?

Huang Qingxue blinked to indicate her agreement.

After Chen Qingxuan slowly let go of her, he said directly, "Alright, go take a bath in the spring first. I've already washed up. Remember to change into clean clothes."

Hearing this, Huang Qingxue's small mouth trembled slightly. "I... Have I already been defiled?"

"Huh?" Chen Qingxuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the mucus from the <fragrant accumulated years> staining her body. "Can't you feel whether you're dirty or not? Don't you feel sticky?"

"Ugh..."

Huang Qingxue couldn't hold it in anymore.

After Chen Qingxuan's reminder, she indeed felt a strange tightness on her skin, like glue residue... She was dirty.

Really dirty.

In an instant, the young girl felt as if all her strength had been drained. She no longer had the energy to question anything. With bean-sized tears in her eyes, she turned and walked toward the spring... In the past, she might have asked Chen Qingxuan to look away... but now, what was the point!

She was already dirty.

"?"

Chen Qingxuan watched, questioning his life;

He just told her to take a bath... was it really worth acting like it was the end of the world?

Whatever.

Compared to Huang Qingxue's fair, jade-like back exposed as she took off her clothes, Chen Qingxuan's attention was currently on the spiritual item he had just obtained.

Five apple-sized, strange fruits that looked like red glass were precisely the essence of the <fragrant accumulated years>.

"Increasing Lifespan, eternal youth... these would be priceless treasures anywhere!"

Chen Qingxuan touched the smooth surface of the fruit, his heart surging with excitement. If he were to auction just one of them, it would likely fetch an unimaginably high price.

But facing such a treasure, he had no selfish intention of keeping them all for himself;

Once Huang Qingxue finished her bath and returned in clean clothes, Chen Qingxuan handed a xiang ji sui fruit to her.

Huang Qingxue, whose heart had suffered a heavy blow, no longer dared to oppose Chen Qingxuan as before or scold him for being a perverted loli-con;

Yet, facing the mouth-watering fruit, she had no appetite.

"Hurry up and eat... swallow it all... don't leave a single drop."

It wasn't until Chen Qingxuan urged her that she reluctantly picked up the xiang ji sui fruit, eating it like it was tasteless wax.

Although the main effect of the xiang ji sui fruit was to increase Lifespan and preserve youth, as a rare spiritual item, it also contained an unimaginable amount of Spiritual Qi;

As a result, after Huang Qingxue finished the fruit, the dense Spiritual Qi directly lifted her from the Qi Refining Realm to the Spirit Sea Realm.

A Breakthrough?

Huang Qingxue blinked her big eyes, somewhat surprised.

But in the next moment, she figured out why Chen Qingxuan would give her a spiritual item to help her improve her cultivation—

It was because she was too weak now and hadn't yet met Chen Qingxuan's requirements for a Cauldron.

Chen Qingxuan had said so himself!

"Damn evil cultivator... sooner or later, I'll shove my foot into your mouth... and let you experience the humiliation I've gone through!"

Huang Qingxue grit her teeth as she looked at Chen Qingxuan, making a silent vow.

Little did she know,

this fruit that could preserve youth... would make her want to kill Chen Qingxuan even more in the future.

Preserve youth... but she clearly hadn't even grown up yet!

Chen Qingxuan was unaware of the Little Pitiful One's thoughts. While she was breaking through, he had also reached the Peak of the Spirit Sea Realm, just one step away from the Bone Forging Realm;

He was now observing his character panel—

Host: Chen Qingxuan

Realm: Spirit Sea Realm Peak

Aptitude: Divine Phoenix Bone

Cultivation Technique: Kidney Nourishing Technique

Items: divine phoenix sword (Currently Heaven Rank), xiang ji sui fruit (Three)

...Setting aside the increase in cultivation, the items obtained just by signing Huang Qingxue were quite a lot.

Ding—

[Side mission triggered.]

[Host, after sending the talent Huang Qingxue to the Divine Phoenix Sect, please hurry to the Eastern Land to contract the next talent, Jiang Susu.]

[The prospective talent Jiang Susu is about to undergo a severe tribulation. Please help her avoid it to prevent wasting her growth time and subsequently delaying the Host's improvement.]

[Rewards will be granted upon mission completion.]

"Jiang Susu?"

Chen Qingxuan blinked.

In the next moment, a youthful and charming face appeared in his mind. It was Jiang Susu, a talent just as suitable for his 'services' as Huang Qingxue;

The future Eastern Land Mystic Maiden, who would suppress all sides single-handedly.

She was no less impressive than the Divine Phoenix Empress!

But a major incident occurs in Jiang Susu's life that would cause her to lose her qualification for cultivation. Although she would eventually be reborn from the ashes, it would waste a lot of time.

As everyone knows, after Chen Qingxuan contracts a talent, their improvements are added to him.

So, if Jiang Susu were unable to cultivate due to the incident, it would be a loss for Chen Qingxuan, which is why the System mission was triggered.

"It's actually that serious... I definitely have to take care of it."

After learning about the tribulation Jiang Susu was to face, Chen Qingxuan didn't waste any words. He pulled up the Little Pitiful One, who was still fantasizing about revenge, and hurried toward the Divine Phoenix Sect... A few days later.

Chen Qingxuan brought Huang Qingxue to the foot of a mountain and pointed to the buildings among the clouds. "Look, do you know what's up there?"

"I don't know."

Huang Qingxue shook her head blankly.

"The Divine Phoenix Sect, a famous cultivation Holy Land in the Southern Border." Chen Qingxuan looked down at her. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

"Mhm."

Huang Qingxue nodded seemingly obediently, but in reality, she had already given up.

After looking up at the thousands of steps, Chen Qingxuan took a deep breath and leaped toward the buildings surrounded by clouds and mist on the mountain Peak.

According to the information from the System, the most suitable person in the Divine Phoenix Sect for the Little Pitiful One to take as a Revered Master was named Ren Zixia, the future Sect Master of the Divine Phoenix Sect.

One could say that Huang Qingxue becoming the Divine Phoenix Empress was inseparable from the guidance of this responsible Revered Master.

But currently, Ren Zixia was only an Elder. Given Huang Qingxue's current age and cultivation, if he brought her directly to the Divine Phoenix Sect, there was a high probability she would be intercepted and taken as a disciple by an Elder of higher status or even the Sect Master... After all, the Little Pitiful One had already been fed by him until she reached the Spirit Sea Realm. With her limitless potential, who wouldn't want to accept such a Prodigy?

To ensure no accidents occurred, Chen Qingxuan decided to visit the Divine Phoenix Sect first. If he could meet Ren Zixia, he could hand the Little Pitiful One directly to her.

This would also avoid any complications.

Although Huang Qingxue was just a talent he had contracted, one must still have a conscience. Since he had gained so much from her for free, he had to take responsibility to the end.

Not long after Chen Qingxuan started climbing the mountain.

A figure in purple clothes suddenly appeared in front of Huang Qingxue.

"Little girl, why are you here alone?"

Ren Zixia walked over curiously.

"Hmm?"

Looking at the beautiful woman who suddenly appeared, Huang Qingxue took a step back in fright.

Honestly, after the time spent with Chen Qingxuan and the trauma she had experienced, she simply couldn't think well of anyone.

Seeing this, Ren Zixia smiled gently and walked over to squat in front of her.

"You don't need to be afraid. I am an Elder of the Divine Phoenix Sect. Our Divine Phoenix Sect is a righteous sect, not bad people... Did your parents bring you here?"

While speaking, she reached out a hand and gently tidied Huang Qingxue's hair.

This caused the originally alert Huang Qingxue to instantly think of her late mother, who used to tidy her hair just as gently. But later, there was never another chance... In an instant, Huang Qingxue could no longer maintain her facade of strength, and her tears fell like rain.

"Mother... an evil cultivator bullied me... he hit my bottom... and he wants me to be his Cauldron... woo woo..."