Chapter Twenty-Seven: Blue Ice’s Request

It must be the Fire Source Crystal. This was the only answer Mo Xuan could think of; beyond that, he truly could not imagine any other reason. Speaking of which, it was precisely this strange power that had allowed him to advance three levels in succession. Yet, this seemed to have nothing to do with his Soul Origin. Mo Xuan knew his Soul Origin clearly—it was called "Emptiness"—and it should have no connection to fire. However, everything before his eyes forced him to believe that the Emptiness Soul Origin was not so simple.

As he pondered, Mo Xuan’s thoughts drifted to the scene from when he had dealt with the Chen family assassins. At that time, Lan Bing’s entire body had turned a fiery red, resembling a flame witch, and in that state, she was actually able to stand toe-to-toe with a practitioner of the Earth-Nether Realm without losing ground. Furthermore, she had already gone through a battle and consumed much of her strength beforehand; had she been in that state from the beginning, she might have been even more formidable.

"Is there a connection between the two? Or can Emptiness encompass fire and other elements?" For now, this was the only explanation.

Having just finished his cultivation, Mo Xuan couldn't wait to test his progress. It was indeed as the description stated; the "Canglin Flow" could elevate him by two levels, though he clearly had not mastered it yet, as his aura remained at the level of a Half-Step Spirit Gathering Realm. It only amounted to a half-level increase, and he couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

There was a three-minute limit, which paired perfectly with the "Concentration" aspect of the Seven-Heart Technique. Timing it just right, Mo Xuan unleashed a full-powered strike at the ground in the courtyard. With a loud *bang*, the ground split into two fissures roughly three meters deep, and a plume of dust drifted up. It was truly domineering, yet based on this power, it was still insufficient, as that strike could at most deal with a Seventh-Level Spirit Gathering Realm practitioner.

Calculating it this way, it seemed the primary effect came from the concentration of his Seven-Heart Technique. It appeared this secret art was almost useless in the early stages. He remained dissatisfied with the result; after all, he was still far from being able to handle Chen Pengfei. In truth, he could use the "Zero Domain" to deal with Chen Pengfei, but Mo Xuan always felt that relying solely on illusions would eventually lead to a disadvantage. Moreover, illusions were primarily mental attacks, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't encounter someone carrying a magical artifact that granted immunity to such attacks—it wasn't stable enough. He needed to find a more reliable method of reinforcement; ideally, he should hunt for a high-grade magical artifact, which would give him a fighting chance even if his raw strength was lacking.

"Not bad, not bad!" A voice came from the other side of the corridor.

Mo Xuan looked toward the sound and saw three people: the three Nether Thieves—Lan Bing, Gu Kai, and Si Qing. Lan Bing waved her hand, looking helpless. "Don't mind them, they're all our own people." Mo Xuan was happy to see them and walked over to greet them. They were as kind as ever, though the other two seemed unhappy with Lan Bing's choice. After all, having worked together for so long, it was hard to part ways without feeling a sense of sorrow. They had intended to lecture him, especially Si Qing, who was the most reckless of the three, but seeing Mo Xuan’s current strength and hearing Lan Bing speak so highly of him, they chose to let it go.

They told Mo Xuan to take good care of Lan Bing. Of course, Lan Bing was a strong-willed woman; hearing this, she was naturally displeased, yet she didn't refute it, which surprised them. Afterward, Gu Kai and Si Qing, not wanting to overstay their welcome, took their leave.

The weather that day was exceptionally cool. Lan Bing sat in the nearby pavilion, dressed in a white gown, watching Mo Xuan practice his short-blade techniques. She watched over him like an older sister, occasionally pointing out his flaws and even preparing drinks for him. When Mo Xuan took a break, Lan Bing handed him a drink. "Hey, you're doing well, but you have to take care of your health instead of practicing day and night. Listen to me, stop cultivating for today."

"It's fine, I'm used to it," Mo Xuan said, feeling grateful.

"You really are a blockhead." Lan Bing snatched the drink away from him. "No matter how much you practice these low-level techniques, the power will remain the same. If you have the ability, go find high-level ones to practice; if you can find them, I won't stop you."

Mo Xuan sensed a deeper meaning in her words, but where was he to find high-level techniques? He decided to sit down quietly and stop his training. Later, Lan Bing shared some shortcuts to cultivation with him. She explained that for "Minor-Grade" techniques, aside from those that allow for level advancement, one only needed to learn how to strike quickly. For "Opening-Grade" techniques, a bit of deep practice was sufficient. These two levels lacked much development value; no matter how deeply one understood them, the power was limited. Only from the "Earth-Grade" and above was it necessary to repeatedly refine one's skills. Thus, Mo Xuan was merely wasting time practicing these low-level arts. He would be better off using that effort to study alchemy or research formations. Mo Xuan agreed with her logic.

Lan Bing then asked, "What are your plans for your next step?"

"I intend to try my luck at the Four Great Academies," Mo Xuan replied.

"Oh, heh, I'm curious—now that you have the strength, why don't you go back to the Mo family and reclaim your status as the Young Master?" Lan Bing asked, the thought occurring to her.

"Unless they invite me back, I will not return." Mo Xuan was not the type to be casual about such things. Most importantly, he didn't care much for the title of Young Master and didn't want to embarrass his clansmen. He knew that returning now would inevitably lead to turmoil; Elder Wu was a cautionary tale. Returning rashly would surely incite panic among those who had treated him poorly, and even if he didn't hold a grudge, someone would inevitably take the opportunity to challenge him. Even if he won, the loser would surely harbor resentment, and if a rebellion were to arise, it might cause the family to fall apart—that was not something he wished to see.

"And what if they never invite you?" Lan Bing asked curiously.

"Then that’s fine too. I won't have to worry about so many things; I'll be free and easy! What about you?"

"Me? I'm naturally going to fulfill our agreement. You go be a student, and I'll go be a teacher."

"She wants to invite you, doesn't she? That's a great opportunity for you!" Mo Xuan felt it might be better if Lan Bing stayed by Meng Yao’s side. "The agreement between us can actually be delayed."

"Don't worry, she’s going too. Sigh, you two are really strange." Lan Bing felt a great fondness for Mo Xuan now. Often, she would inadvertently look for his thoughts, feeling an inexplicable sense of reliance on him.

Mo Xuan thought to himself that they must have reached an agreement, which was fine by him. Truth be told, he was reluctant to hand Lan Bing over to Meng Yao, but he didn't want to hinder her future because of himself. After all, her talent was so great—even Meng Yao was slightly inferior to her—and he refused to let his own circumstances hold her back. Most importantly, Mo Xuan currently could not provide Lan Bing with the resources she deserved.

Finally, Mo Xuan reluctantly asked Lan Bing to borrow some spirit coins. "Sister Bing, do you happen to have any spare spirit coins? I will repay you double in the future."

"You... haha," Lan Bing laughed, finding Mo Xuan’s stuttering amusing. "Hm, how much do you intend to borrow?"

"Thirty thousand will suffice!" Mo Xuan had calculated that he planned to visit the auction house to see if there were any techniques or artifacts he needed. His requirements weren't high, as long as they could be used immediately. With the savings he had accumulated, about five or six hundred thousand would be enough, but considering the variables of the auction house, he needed a buffer.

Lan Bing was generous and lent him one million spirit coins directly. "Here!"

"Thirty thousand is enough!" Mo Xuan said, wanting to decline the rest.

But Lan Bing insisted, "You already owe me two million anyway; consider this one million as funding. Take it. Besides, a high-grade magical artifact costs far more than that amount; with what you have, you could at most buy a middle-grade one. You will have to pay me back with interest later."

Mo Xuan accepted. Lan Bing knew the value of a high-grade artifact well, so she didn't care whether Mo Xuan paid her back or not. Even if he didn't, she wouldn't ask for it. She wanted to tell him not to worry about repayment, but that was a different matter, and Mo Xuan certainly wouldn't have agreed to it.

In one month, the city of Luochuan would hold its once-every-seven-years Elite Tournament. Anyone under the age of sixteen could participate, and the top ten winners would qualify for the selection trials of the Four Great Academies. The selection trials for the Four Great Academies would be held ten months after this tournament.

The Four Great Academies—Qingshui Academy, Xuancang Academy, Qianling Academy, and Yunxin Academy—not only represented the highest seats of learning on the Hongmeng Continent but also stood as some of the continent's top powers. At the same time, these four academies shared a lineage with the three great kingdoms. While the three kingdoms had their own conflicts over talents, treasures, and even territory, they stood as one on major issues. After all, they were all powers within this Northwestern region, a tradition upheld for ages; otherwise, they would not hold such a status.

Every seven years, the Four Great Academies would release the minimum requirements. Those who met the criteria and participated in the designated district tournaments to achieve a certain rank could enter the assessment. This was open to all regions, including the three kingdoms; otherwise, there was no opportunity to register. Unless one truly possessed exceptional strength—though such cases were rare. Of course, this did not exclude those who were truly outstanding; such people could enter even without the assessment, provided they had a recommendation.

Mo Xuan knew that to improve his strength, staying where he was would not suffice; he had to participate in this tournament. Over the next period, Mo Xuan successfully refined a top-grade first-level potion through his own efforts. One should not underestimate a first-level potion; its value was far greater than that of a second-level one. He took this batch of potions, along with the top-grade potions Lan Bing had given him, to the auction house.

On a street in Luochuan, Mo Xuan had originally intended to deliver some potions to the Mo family shop, but he ran into Mo Yun, Mo Yujie, and some of their subordinates—about seven people in total. They had heard of Mo Xuan’s situation and knew his strength had surpassed theirs, but they still blocked his path.

"Mo Xuan, what are you doing here? Is this a place for someone like you?" Mo Yun provoked.