novelraw Chapter 25 : . The Training Begins
Chapter 25 : . The Training Begins
Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.
Xiao Han reached out and took the scroll, glanced at it, then tossed it into her system space.
If the plot hadn't deviated, the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group would bring people to ambush them. Calculating the time, those people should be arriving soon. If she gave the poison scripture to Xiao Yi Xian now, it would certainly waste some time, thus reducing the amount of medicinal herbs they could gather.
There was no point in opening the remaining stone boxes now. If she remembered correctly, one should contain a flying battle skill, and the other an earth-attribute, low-grade earth-level battle skill. These two skills were of no use to the three of them, so Xiao Han unceremoniously threw them all into her system space as collectibles.
[Host, shouldn't the female lead be able to use the flying battle skill?] The system asked, somewhat puzzled.
Xiao Han was unconcerned: [This flying battle skill uses the soul of a bird of prey, and those wings also belong to the raptor category. Can you imagine Gu Xun'er with a pair of raptor wings on her back?]
The system imagined it following Xiao Han's words, and immediately shuddered at the image in its mind.
Well, a lotus-like beauty with fierce raptor wings... indeed doesn't match well. It's too image-destroying; this thing is more suitable for males.
After doing all this, Xiao Han was about to see if there was anything else worth collecting when she heard faint footsteps behind the stone door. The sound was very light, and its source was still some distance from the stone door, but it couldn't escape Xiao Han, who was already an eight-star Dou Zong cultivator at the Formless realm.
It seemed the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's people had arrived. Xiao Han glanced once more at Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian, who were still digging for herbs, then raised her hand to pull down her wide brim, took two steps back, and disappeared into the darkness.
[Host, what if something happens to the female lead?]
After Xiao Han left the cave, the system asked worriedly.
Xiao Han's expression remained indifferent: "How could that be possible? Gu Xun'er, as the female lead, already has considerable fortune. Moreover, she's the young miss of the Gu family, with no shortage of life-saving abilities. Even if she can't fight against everyone, at least escaping shouldn't be a problem."
The system seemed to understand yet not understand, but it didn't dwell on it. Why think so much? Just listen to the host.
However, there was one point Xiao Han didn't mention: she had left a trace of divine sense on Gu Xun'er, which could at least help her withstand a full-power attack from a Dou Huang.
Xiao Han sat cross-legged on top of the cliff, cultivating while quietly waiting for Gu Xun'er and the other to appear.
She didn't wait long. About a quarter of an hour later, two figures leapt out of the cave, and immediately after, a large blue eagle appeared in the night sky, catching the two.
Other mercenaries rushed out of the cave cursing, but stopped at the entrance.
They were just a group of Dou Practitioner, at most seven-star, without flying battle skills. They could only watch helplessly as their targets got further and further away.
Xiao Han's sharp eyes noticed that the young man leading them had lost an arm, and his face, which could be called handsome, was full of ferocious expressions.
She pulled down her brim, and a silver light flashed beneath her feet.
On the blue eagle, the two young girls who had escaped from over twenty Dou Practitioner were both panting and covered in sweat. Gu Xun'er started to meditate as soon as she landed on the eagle's back.
At this moment, a ghostly shadow appeared beside the two, startling them.
Seeing it was Xiao Han, they immediately relaxed.
"Not bad," Xiao Han nodded, speaking with satisfaction.
As for what wasn't bad... having studied with Xiao Han for so long, Gu Xun'er naturally understood her teacher's meaning.
Then, Xiao Han took out a bottle of pills from her system space and tossed it to Gu Xun'er: "To restore energy."
Catching the pills, Gu Xun'er shared one with Xiao Yi Xian, then took one herself and began to recover using the medicinal power.
After about half an hour, both of them had recovered to their peak condition.
"Thank you for your help, esteemed one," Xiao Yi Xian said with a bitter smile, slumped on the eagle's back.
Who could have imagined that Mu Li, the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, had actually bribed her assistant to learn the secret of her treasure hunt in advance, and then followed her? She could only say it was fortunate that she met Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er. Otherwise, if she had really come alone as originally planned, she might not only have failed to take anything, but also lost herself in the process.
"I'm not the one who saved you," Xiao Han said coldly.
Xiao Yi Xian smiled bitterly, and as soon as her voice fell, a colorful scroll was thrown into her arms.
She took up the scroll with some surprise, and when she saw the characters on it, her expression turned to one of joy.
"Thank you, esteemed one!" With this, almost all negative emotions were swept away. She quickly put the scroll into her storage ring and earnestly thanked Xiao Han again.
When Xiao Han threw the scroll, Gu Xun'er's sharp eyes caught the four characters "Seven-Colored Poison Scripture."
Connecting this with her teacher's previous mention of the Calamity Poison Body, Gu Xun'er understood.
The blue eagle circled in the air once more, then slowly descended following Xiao Yi Xian's instructions.
Getting down from the eagle's back, Xiao Yi Xian first rubbed the blue eagle's head. The eagle affectionately nuzzled her, then let out a cry and flew away.
"Thank you again for your repeated assistance, esteemed one. Shall we part ways here?" Xiao Yi Xian said seriously, cupping her hands. "I must return to the herb-gathering team."
She was the core of the team, and her sudden disappearance would certainly cause chaos. Mu Li might even take advantage of the situation to make things worse.
However, once back with the herb-gathering team, Mu Li wouldn't dare do anything to her. With her reputation in Qingshan Town, Mu Li absolutely wouldn't dare to make a move against her if he didn't want to incur public outrage.
And after returning to Qingshan Town, Mu Li would be even less daring to act. The Wanyao Pavilion's influence was no smaller than the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's, and moreover, the leaders of the other two major mercenary groups both owed her favors. If Mu Li wanted to move against her, he'd have to think twice.
Xiao Han, however, was disdainful. In the face of absolute benefits, what did favors count for? But she wouldn't say this out loud; too many words were useless. Some things were better experienced personally; others' experiences would always remain just that—others' experiences.
However, Xiao Han quite appreciated this girl, and she was indeed quite interested in the Calamity Poison Body. So, she didn't want to let Xiao Yi Xian fall into the helpless situation as in the original story.
Xiao Yi Xian bowed again, and as she raised her head, she saw the black-robed figure holding out a token to her.
This was a token made of an unknown material, ancient and dignified, without excessive ornamentation. It had only a simple "Cloud" character on it.
Meeting Xiao Yi Xian's puzzled gaze, Xiao Han said flatly, "If you ever find yourself at a dead end, go to the Cloud Mist Sect."
This token was given to her by Yun Shan, the former Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect and the master of the current Sect Master, Yun Yun. In the original story, unable to break through to Dou Zong, Yun Shan had desperately made a deal with the Soul Hall, becoming a villain and implicating the entire Cloud Mist Sect. In this life, Xiao Han had sought out Yun Shan early on, helping him break through to Dou Zong with pills before he could resort to desperate measures.
Having broken through to Dou Zong, Yun Shan was freed from his inner demons and was now leisurely cultivating in the Cloud Mist Sect, leaving no opportunity for the Soul Hall to exploit.
To repay Xiao Han, Yun Shan had given her a token. This token symbolized a high-level status in the Cloud Mist Sect, meaning Xiao Han's position in the Cloud Mist Sect was second only to the Sect Master, Yun Yun.
Xiao Yi Xian was stunned, then happily reached out to accept the token: "Thank you, esteemed one!"
Xiao Han waved her hand and turned to Gu Xun'er, saying, "Let's go."
Gu Xun'er smiled slightly at Xiao Yi Xian, bid her farewell, and then disappeared into the dark forest following her teacher.
Watching their figures slowly vanish into the darkness, Xiao Yi Xian finally withdrew her gaze and turned her head towards the camp below, saying softly, "Mu Li, just you wait. A woman's grudge is far deeper than you can imagine."
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In a valley rich with energy, a beautiful figure flashed through the forest, moving so fast only a blur could be seen.
Following behind her was a black panther, also extremely fast, keeping close on the girl's heels.
The two figures chased each other through the forest. The girl's movements were very agile, always managing to make unexpected moves to escape the panther's bloody maw just as it was about to catch her.
"That's enough."
Just as the girl was beginning to tire, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out without warning.
As soon as the voice fell, the girl's foot slipped, and her whole body seemed to lose balance, falling towards the ground.
Due to inertia, the panther couldn't stop in time. In fact, when the girl changed her movement, this poor panther hadn't even reacted yet.
As the panther leaped over the girl, she raised her hand, her arm wreathed in golden light. That delicate hand lightly touched the panther's soft belly. This movement looked extremely gentle, but it instantly produced a tremendous force. The force made the panther whimper, its body thrown into the air like a rag, flying out more than ten meters. When it fell, it hit a tree trunk, its four limbs twitching a few times before finally going still.
The girl supported herself with one hand on the ground, then lightly landed.
She wore a smile on her face, but compared to when she first entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range, this smile now carried a hint of determination.
This person was Gu Xun'er.
She had been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for a full three months. During these three months, she had broken through to nine-star Dou Practitioner and continuously pushed her limits in life-and-death struggles with magical beasts. Xiao Han hadn't taught her many battle skills, but had taught her how to thoroughly understand battle skills in various real combats, how to achieve the strongest effects with the least Dou Qi.
These were all things Gu Xun'er had never heard of in the Gu family. The continent's accepted fact was that high-level battle skills could crush low-level ones. Between equal opponents, whoever had higher-level techniques or battle skills would win.
But Xiao Han taught her that low-level battle skills, when used properly, could compete with high-level ones.
Sometimes, Gu Xun'er really wondered what kind of person her teacher was. A lightning-attribute alchemist with godly battle techniques and insights into cultivation methods and battle skills that differed from the norm yet were exceptionally useful. She seemed like an existence specifically here to break people's perceptions, full of mysteries.
Xiao Han didn't know what Gu Xun'er was thinking. At this moment, she was sitting cross-legged by the river, leisurely watching the golden, crispy-outside-tender-inside roasted meat on the fire.
[System, where is Xiao Yan now?]
The day after she had requested a three-year leave for Gu Xun'er and herself, which was the day they left, Xiao Yan had also gone to ask Teacher Ruo Lin for leave under Yao Lao's instructions. However, with Xiao Han and the others having requested leave first, Ruo Lin thought Xiao Yan had also asked the school for leave, so after understanding the reason, she directly approved it. After all, Xiao Yan, Gu Xun'er, and Xiao Han were all from the Xiao family, so she naturally assumed the three were together.
Without holding out for twenty moves under Teacher Ruo Lin as in the original text, Xiao Yan also lost an opportunity to shock everyone, and because of this, the recruitment teachers and students of Jia Nan Academy had no special impression of him.
However, now Xiao Yan was only at the nine-stage Dou Qi, and probably couldn't withstand Ruo Lin's twenty moves. After all, in the original story, he had relied on Yao Lao's help to receive the last move.
[Report to host! The male lead is still in the outer areas of the Magic Beast Mountain Range! Due to the host's intervention, the male lead didn't participate in the cave treasure hunt, so he didn't clash with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. He didn't leave the herb-gathering team halfway to enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range, so he has been following the herb-gathering team all along. Only after returning to Qingshan Town and receiving his payment did he enter the mountains.]