Chapter 37: Transcendent Spirit

As the dust settled, the blood and fire in the cave gradually dissipated.

The Baize youngling bounced about vivaciously as it approached Chu Liang and then started running circles around him again. The youngling looked very excited, so much so that it didn't seem to be in much pain from the beating it had received earlier.

Jiang Xiaobai also floated down to Chu Liang and gently asked, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Chu Liang answered, shaking his head. "What about you, Senior Sister Jiang?"

"I'm fine too."

Jiang Xiaobai's expression was still as calm as before. It was as though she hadn't just experienced a life-and-death crisis.

Seeing that, Chu Liang now believed that the giant lizard hadn't even been powerful enough to kill her.

Typically, a demonic beast at the peak of the fifth realm would have no trouble killing a cultivator at the fourth realm. However, this person was Jiang... uh, Jiang Yuebai, a senior sister who didn't want to reveal her real name.

She was undoubtedly the most brilliant genius of the current generation of disciples in the Mount Shu Sect. She was a true genius, and common sense didn't apply to geniuses.

Be it in terms of her mastery of various immortal arts, her superb divine techniques, or her adeptness in utilizing a flying sword and enchanted tools, she was able to effectively implement them to compensate for the difference in cultivation level.

In the battle earlier, Jiang Xiaobai had already used the Heavenly Sword Seal to inflict severe damage on the giant lizard before Chu Liang even made his move. He believed that if he'd left things to play out for a while longer, the giant lizard would have died from its wounds.

As for the desperate attack the giant lizard had made in its final moments, it wouldn't have worked. Jiang Xiaobai hadn't even used any enchanted tools in that brief battle.

No one would believe that the Mount Shu Sect's most brilliant genius disciple didn't possess at least one or two treasures capable of saving her life. Therefore, it's possible that she simply hadn't felt the need to use them.

After all, not everyone was like Chu Liang, just casually throwing away their precious life-saving treasures as if they were of little value.

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at the giant lizard's corpse and then looked closely at Chu Liang. She was somewhat surprised by Chu Liang's unexpected strike.

"What enchanted tool did you use? It was quite powerful, and... it exuded an extremely cold and malevolent aura," she asked.

"They're Shadowburst Thunder Bombs. I took them from a Soul Subjugator of the Dark King Sect," Chu Liang answered truthfully.

"I see. It's said that the Shadowburst Thunder Bombs are difficult to make and quite valuable. If you present them to the Hall of Weapons, you should be able to exchange them for a pretty good amount of sword coins," Jiang Xiaobai said.

Who was the one who said otherwise...

Chu Liang wallowed in regret.

When he asked Di Nufeng earlier, she'd spoken in a rather disdainful tone and referred to the bombs as "small toys." So, Chu Liang thought they might just be ordinary, commonly used items.

Thinking about it now... maybe what Teacher considers "small" may actually be really big for me.

These three

small

toys had managed to kill a demonic beast at the peak of the fifth realm with an explosion. The demonic beast had already been severely injured before Chu Liang used the bomb, but the instant death of the demonic beast showed the terrifying prowess that the bombs possessed.

Chu Liang didn't know that there were no weak points in the giant lizard's physical defense, strength, and speed. So, of course, he didn't know that its only vulnerability was its mind. However, it just so happened that Shadowburst Thunder Bombs specialized in mental attacks. This was the key reason why Chu Liang managed to kill the giant lizard with one strike.

It seemed that Jiang Xiaobai sensed Chu Liang's regret.

She put on a small smile and offered, "Let me compensate you with some sword coins. You helped me so much. I can't just let you suffer losses without getting anything in return."

"It's fine," Chu Liang replied, shaking his head. "We're fellow disciples of the Mount Shu Sect. So, there's no need—"

Jiang Xiaobai saw through his weak bluff and stated bluntly, "Still, I must express my gratitude to you."

"In that case, how about this?" Chu Liang said, suddenly changing the subject. "Instead of compensating me with some sword coins... Senior Sister, could you teach me a few Divine Techniques?"

"

Eh?

" Jiang Xiaobai was taken aback. "Are you talking about techniques like Dimension Compression and Heavenly Sword Seal? I don't think you need to aim that high..."

She was implying that Chu Liang might not even be able to learn them...

"No, just some general ones will be enough." Chu Liang smiled embarrassedly. "My teacher... is a Physical cultivator."

"Is your teacher Peak Master Di Nufeng? I admire her elegant demeanor."

Jiang Xiaobai recalled the Peak Master of Silver Sword Peak, and a sympathetic smile formed on her face.

In the Mount Shu Sect, there were perhaps only a few disciples who knew who Chu Liang was. However, most of the disciples in the sect did know that Di Nufeng had an unlucky disciple.

"

Haha...

" Chu Liang responded politely with a forced smile.

"Come here tomorrow at around noon. I'll be here waiting for you. I'll teach you some techniques then," Jiang Xiaobai replied.

Chu Liang was ecstatic.

He nodded and expressed, "Thank you, Senior Sister Jiang. But this place is..."

Chu Liang looked at the mess around them and was quite flabbergasted.

Can you even continue staying here?

"No matter," Jiang Xiaobai said. "Once you leave, can you not tell anyone about what happened here?"

"But the demonic beast attack occurred inside the sect. Don't we need to report it?" Chu Liang asked puzzledly.

"I will take care of it," Jiang Xiaobai answered. "Today's incident was a bit unusual..."

"

Hmm?

"

Chu Liang didn't understand what Jiang Xiaobai meant, but he nodded anyway.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Jiang Xiaobai hesitated before explaining, "You suffered an unexpected misfortune with me today, so I should let you know the reason why. Baize's so close to you, you must be a good person. In that case, there's no harm in telling you this...

"I was born with a special constitution—the legendary Transcendent Spirit. My cultivation progress has been remarkable since I was a child, but there's one problem...

"Demonic creatures are naturally greatly attracted to my blood... It seems that they can gain a drastic rise in power if they consume me.

"Every day, I always have to be careful to keep a distance from the sect's spirit pets and mounts, and I have to be cautious at all times to ensure I don't get injured and bleed, as I fear the scent of blood may attract demonic creatures."

Hearing this, Chu Liang was slightly intrigued.

A constitution that can attract demonic creatures...

It sounds a bit like how monsters sought to eat Monk Tang

[1]

's flesh to gain power. In that case, her constitution is very dangerous indeed.

However, if I had such a constitution... I could use my body to attract demonic creatures, kill them, and use them to get rewards from the White Pagoda. Then I could use those rewards to become stronger and attract even more powerful demonic creatures...

And a healthy industry chain

[2]

would be formed!

While Chu Liang was lost in thought, Jiang Xiaobai continued, "However... as I am a woman, there are times when bleeding is unavoidable..."

As she said that, a blush crept into her cheeks.

Chu Liang, on the other hand, was unperturbed. The topic didn't make him feel uncomfortable at all. He didn't think there was a need for it to be a taboo.

It was indeed difficult to avoid demonic creatures while living on Mount Shu. The Mount Shu Sect kept many spirit pets and mounts. They couldn't possibly banish them all just because of Jiang Xiaobai. However, those docile domesticated demonic beasts would go berserk the moment they caught a whiff of her blood. This made things very difficult for her.

Seeing him remain nonchalant, Jiang Xiaobai resumed her tale.

"Ultimately, I started coming to Treasured Pagoda Peak every month to hide away for a few days. The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda used to be located here. Even after five hundred years, its lingering presence still deters demonic beasts from setting foot on this land. The land here is pure.

"Moreover, with my darling Baize driving away intruders for me, I've been able to temporarily stay here in peace every time.

"That is, until it suddenly brought you back today..."

Chu Liang glanced at Baize youngling circling them incessantly and thought that this celestial beast didn't seem particularly intelligent. So, it didn't seem that odd that it would do some strange things.

"And it's also really strange that this giant lizard appeared here. Why did it suddenly appear on Treasured Pagoda Peak, where no demonic creature has dared to set foot? Furthermore, how was it able to locate this cave so precisely...?" Jiang Xiaobai said, furrowing her brows slightly.

The beauty's frowning face resembled a mist shrouding a white lake.

Chu Liang instantly figured out the conjecture Jiang Xiaobai was making.

It was supposed to be a secret that Jiang Xiaobai had the constitution of the legendary Transcendent Spirit, yet she had shared it with Chu Liang so easily. This indicated that it wasn't a very well-kept secret, so it was likely that many people in the sect's inner circle knew about it.

It's strange that the demonic beast just appeared out of nowhere and discovered her location so accurately. It seems like it could be the work of someone in the sect.

Perhaps... someone close to her.

Chu Liang's heart felt heavy just thinking of that.

Jiang Xiaobai paused and then said, "That's my situation, so I request that you won't disclose this information to anyone. I need to report this incident to my teacher first before considering in detail what to do next."

"I understand," Chu Liang replied with a nod.

After wrapping up the topic, Jiang Xiaobai asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"I want to ask..." Chu Liang muttered, pondering for a moment. Then he raised his gaze and asked, "The Seven Stars Gazette reported that you've got something going on with Feng Chaoyang of the Celestial King Sect. Is it true?"

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

1. The monk from Journey to the West. Any demon who eats the monk becomes immortal ☜

2. In this context, the concept of an "industry chain" is used metaphorically to describe a self-sustaining cycle or system where Chu Liang's actions create a loop of attracting, defeating increasingly powerful demonic creatures, and growing stronger. ☜