Lu Li was worried about nothing. There had been clashes between the Zhao Family and the Liu Family recently. Liu Yi and the rest did not even consider about Di Ba. They just marched on in silence.
At the foot of the mountain, people found some horses that managed to escape which were also galloping back to the city without stopping.
It was already after dark when they went back to the Liu Family Compound. Liu Yi rushed to the backyard in anger. Patriarch Hong sent Lu Li back to get some rest and then quickly left after Liu Yi.
Getting back to the Guest Clan, Lu Li entered his yard. Lu Ling lit up a lamp in her room while reading. She was surprised to see Lu Li back and looked up to him, asking, "Something wrong?"
It should take at least several couple of days for Lu Li to get back even if he could complete his task quickly, but now, he had gone back, covered in blood, after only two days. Smart girl as Lu Ling was, she instantly knew something went horribly wrong.
Lu Li drank a mouthful of water and then explained the whole story to Lu Ling. Also, he shared his doubts.
A killing intent came into Lu Ling’s eyes. She said in a frigid voice, "Even if Di Ba was not the culprit behind this, he must have something to do with it. Lu Li, later, you must avail yourself of a chance to get to the bottom of this. If it really is Di Ba’s deed, just kill his entire family."
Lu Li did not have the mind to consider that far into the future. He thought of the small white beast in his jute bag. After making sure that nobody was around by looking to the sides, he helped Lu Ling into the room and opened the jute bag. Pointing at the small white beast which was deeply asleep, Lu Li said, "Sis, do you recognize this beast?"
Lu Ling examined it closely but shook her head even after she heard about Lu Li’s description of encountering the beast. "No. There are some descriptions about powerful Xuan Beasts in the books left by our father, but nothing like this. Maybe it is because the beast is too small now. We can’t tell its real look now."
Lu Li did not have a clear look of the small beast in the cave on account of the dim lighting. Now he had the chance to carefully look into it under the candle. The more he looked, the more he found the small beast to be exceptional.
The small beast had snow white fur all over its body, smooth and beautiful. There was not even a single hair of other color. Its shape resembled that of a cat, except that there was some short mane on its head, which also made it look like a small lion. Inside the mane were two very small black horns. They hadn’t grown out yet, so they were covered by the mane.
The claws of the small beast were very pretty. It was so white that it glared, and cold light bounced off of them. They must be very sharp. Lu Li kept his surprise to himself when he thought of the fast speed of the small beast. If one were to be scratched by the claws, a piece of flesh would be gone.
Lu Ling asked with a frown, "You mentioned the small beast stared at your animal tooth pendant? There was fear and yearning in its eyes?"
Lu Li nodded and added, "Sis, my animal tooth pendant can light up. When I consumed the healing pellet, it glared and flickered. The wounds I had quickly healed and scabbed."
"Really?"
Lu Ling raised her eyebrows. She sized up the animal tooth pendant and replied with a nod, "I think the animal tooth pendant is really some rare treasure. The small beast is willing to go with you because of the animal tooth pendant. Father put it on you as soon as you were born. He must know the origin of the animal tooth pendant."
"Rare treasure?"
Lu Li took off the animal tooth pendant and studied it through and through but found nothing unusual. This was just an average animal tooth pendant, only of the width and length of the little finger. By right, it should not be the tooth of a powerful Xuan Beast. The more powerful the Xuan Beast, the larger its build should be.
"You can no longer reveal your animal tooth."
Lu Ling went back to her room and got a small black woven bag. She handed it to Lu Li and said, "Put the animal tooth pendant inside the woven bag and hide it inside your clothes. Don’t let people see it."
"Cheep,cheep~"
Right at that moment, the small white beast opened its eyes. It stared at the animal tooth pendant and screamed in a weird way. Fear filled its eyes, yet at the same time, its eyes flickered as if it yearned for it.
"So it is because of the animal tooth pendant. What kind of high rank Xuan Beast did it belong to?"
Lu Li secretly felt confused. Too bad his father went missing so nobody could tell him about the background of the animal tooth pendant. After considering about it, he put the animal tooth pendant into the small bag and put it back on. But he stretched the string of the necklace to hide it inside his clothes.
Once the animal tooth pendant was hidden, the small beast instantly quietened down. It looked around with curiosity and circled around Lu Li while wagging its tail. However, it looked at Lu Ling in a totally indifferent way.
"Lu Li!"
Lu Ling didn’t mind it one bit. Instead, she said to Lu Li in excitement, "The small beast can be a Xuan Beast of the Third Rank, but it was just born. You must treat it well. It will be of enormous help to you."
The small white beast was just born a short time ago, but it already could compete with warriors of the Spirit Sea Realm in terms of speed. How much faster would it get when it grew up? On top of that, the small white beast was very smart and intelligent. Xuan Beast of lower ranks could not be this smart. So, the possibility of it being a Xuan Beast of the Third Rank was very high.
Xuan Beast of the Third Rank could be more powerful than warriors of the Soul Pond Realm. Once it grew up, it would be easy for it to deal with regular warrior at the Soul Pond Realm.
"Xuan Beast of the Third Rank!"
Lu Li felt pleased. Xuan Beasts could be tamed. Take the Silver Wolf Escorts of the Liu Family as an example. The Silver Wolves they were riding were tamed when they were young. The wolves moved like wind and had the combat capacity like that of Xuan Beast of the First Rank.
"Little fella, come here!"
Lu Li bent over and reached out his hand. The small white beast fondly jumped onto Lu Li’s hand. The beast was too small, just the size of a fist. It looked up to Lu Li fawningly, cute as a kitten.
Lu Li stroked the small beast’s mane. The beast squinted in comfort and fell again into sleep in Lu Li’s hand.
"You have snow white fur all over your body. I’ll just call you Little White!"
Lu Li grew fondly of the small beast. He left the beast in a corner and went to take a shower to clean himself of all the blood and filth.
When he was finished with his shower, he suddenly heard someone knocking at the door. Chief Steward of the Guest Clan sent someone over with food and orders from Cheng Qu to let Lu Li rest for the night and mind the rest the next morning.
Lu Li enjoyed his food and thought about the small beast after he was full. He picked the beast up and put it on the table. Pointing to the beast that had opened its eyes, Lu Li said, "Little White, you must be hungry now. Have something, whatever you like."
Lu Ling looked at the beast with a smile. The dinner brought here by the Liu Family was very big with many kinds of meat dishes. It should be catering to the appetite of the small beast.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The small beast glanced over the dinner but shook its head in disdain. It had no intention of eating anything. Lu Li and Lu Ling looked at each other and felt befuddled; could it be that the small beast did not eat meat but grass and vegetable?
Lu Li got up and found some radish and cabbage for the beast. The beast disliked them even more. It hopped off the table and went back to sleep in the corner.
"It eats nothing?"
Lu Li blinked in confusion. He looked into Lu Ling who said, "Maybe it is because the rank of the small beast is high so it eats something special. Tomorrow, we can try something else. It’s late now, go to sleep."
"Alright."
Lu Li had to accept that. He stood up and carried the small beast back to his room after giving it some thoughts. Even though the small beast was behaving quite well, but what if it gave full play to its animal disposition and hurt Lu Ling?
Putting down the small beast in his room, Lu Li cultivated for half of the night before he fell asleep.
"Crack, crack~"
At dawn, Lu Li was woken up by some strange noise in a startle. He sat up and looked into the source of the noise. Just one glance and he was scared so as to have goosebumps. Lu Li’s eyes were wide open as if he had seen ghost in daytime.
He… found the small white beast squatting on the ground and chewing the Heaven Kylin Sword. A small piece at the crack of the Heaven Kylin Sword was already chewed off by it.
…
Heaven Kylin Sword, which was a Xuan Artifact of the Earth Grade!
Even it was broken with a piece cut off, but it was still of very special material. Lu Li had killed so many Iron Spur Wolves using it without leaving any crack or scratch. As such, one could imagine how rigid it must be.
Now, the small white beast was chewing and eating the Heaven Kylin Sword?
Lu Li thought for a moment that he was dreaming this. He pinched his own thigh hard to make sure that he was not dreaming. After that, he jumped up and cried out, "Little White, stop doing it, no… stop eating it!"
Seeing Lu Li had woken up, Little White wagged its tail and ran towards Lu Li. Lu Li picked up the Heaven Kylin Sword. After making sure that only a small piece was bitten off, he felt relieved. This cracked sword was crucial to him now since it could enhance his ability to some degree.
"Creak, creak~"
The door was pushed open. Lu Ling had gotten out of bed for some time now. She stared at Lu Li in confusion and asked, "What are you doing shouting so early in the morning?"
"Sis, look!" Lu Li held up the Heaven Kylin Sword and pointed to Little White. "Little White chewed a corner of the Heave Kylin Sword."
"What…"
Lu Ling put on a different expression now. She and Lu Li looked towards Little White who was still wagging its tail fawningly and felt like they were looking at a monster instead.
This little guy could chew Heaven Kylin Sword. If it were to bite a person on the neck or head, the person would die instantly without a doubt.
"So, it is really a Xuan Beast of high rank."
Lu Ling’s eyes lit up and continued, "Lu Li, didn’t you just mention that you have some contribution points? Later, you go and find Cheng Qu and go to the Hall of Weapon to trade for some broken Xuan Artifacts. Whatever Little White wants, you just satisfy it. As long as it can grow up quickly, it doesn’t even matter should it eat the Heaven Kylin Sword."
What was so important about a broken sword? As long as Little White could grow, it would make a powerful helper.
"Okay!"
Of course, this was clear to Lu Li. Putting the Heaven Kylin Sword on his back, Lu Li got up and went to washing and rinsing. Rushing down some breakfast, when Lu Li was just about to go out and find Cheng Qu, the latter came to the former.
"Lu Li, you have accomplished your mission successfully. Now you are an official Guest Warrior of the Liu Family."
Cheng Qu gave him a white Token and said while pointing to it, "Try to use your Xuan Energy on it. In it are records your contribution points you got from the Frigid Cloud Mountain."
Lu Li tried to move his Xuan Energy on the Token. Sure enough, a character symbolizing "Guest" lit up on the white Token, followed by a series of numbers.
Cheng Qu explained with some envy, "Lu Li, this time, you have found a mystical grass of the Fifth Rank and you are the main contributor. So, you have gotten 1100 contribution points. Also, you fought boldly and with power. Lady Yi and Patriarch Hong had reported to the family and you are granted with another 300 contribution points. You are good. You have just joined the Family, and you have already received more than 1000 contribution points. Many people can’t accumulate so many in even a year or two."
Lu Li secretly nodded in consent. Lady Yi and Patriarch Hong did not lie to him. They really did convert the accomplishment of finding the Seven-leafed Heaven Cloud Grass into contribution points for him. He thought about it and asked, "What are the things that are tradable using contribution points?"
"Anything!"
Cheng Qu explained, "As long as you have enough contribution points, you can even buy the Di Long Tribe. I remember a tribe is likely 100,000 contribution points if I’m right. That is to say, if you have 100,000 contribution points, you can ask your family to make you the Chief of the Di Long Tribe."
Cheng Qu added, "Xuan Artifacts, pellets, Xuan Skills, secret cultivation books, mystical materials and even the place of clan patriarchs can be traded with contribution points. Take my position as an example. As long as you have 10,000 points, you can trade for it."
Lu Li instantly said he did not dare to trade for this position. Then Cheng Qu asked Lu Li to stay in the Guest Clan and do not leave the Liu Family at will. Zhao Family and Liu Family may start a war. An Internal Clan Patriarch of the Liu Family had already given orders to prepare for them to be combat ready and prepare to go to war with the Zhao Family at any time.
Lu Li, of course, would not wander out if there was no need. He actually would love to stay in the Guest Clan quietly for some time to cultivate. He was confident that he could make it to the peak of Xuan Wu Realm easily.
After Cheng Qu left, Lu Li asked Lu Ling, "Sis, what should I do with these contribution points? Should I trade for some Xuan Skills? A real Xuan Artifact and just let Little White eat this?"
"No!"
Lu Ling decisively said, "Lu Li, other than being gaudy, low-level Xuan Skills don’t have much else of use. It’s better for you trade for some high-level pellets, the increasing strength kind. I don’t think you need to trade for Xuan Artifact for how. You can help Little White to get some broken Xuan Artifacts."
"High-level pellets of strength enhancing type?"
Lu Li was not thick-headed and he understood Lu Ling’s meaning quickly. He saw many warriors at the Xuan Wu Realm have fabulous Xuan Skills but weaker than him with regards to combat abilities. He was even confident to hurt warriors at the late-stage of the Xuan Wu Realm.
"Absolute strength can overwhelm any gaudy Xuan Skills!"
Bringing Little White with him, Lu Li left the Guest Clan. He put Little White in the jute bag because it was a Xuan Beast of high rank. Should someone cover it, there would be big trouble.
He asked around about the location of the Hall of Pellets and entered a big attic. After presenting his ID Token, he asked something to the elder guarding the Hall of Pellets.
"Pellets that can increase your strength?"
The elder offered some explanation. Lu Li felt a bit upset. There were three kinds of pellets that could enhance a person’s strength: one was the Body Refinement Pellet, the lowest level, and it was cheap: only five contribution points for one. Lu Li actually had some left on him. The second kind was the Blood Refinement Pellet of the Fifth Rank of the Human Grade. It was much more potent than the Body Refinement Pellet, yet one pellet would cost 30 contribution points. The third kind was Blood Conversion Pellet, however, all the contribution points Lu Li got were not enough to trade for one of these.
Pellets, Xuan Artifacts, Secret Cultivation Books were all divided in three grades: Heaven, Earth and Human Grade. There were nine ranks of each grade. For a Third-rank Family like the Liu Family, maybe the highest level of the weapons, pellets and secrete books were only of the Earth Grade.
Lu Li considered about it and said clenching his teeth, "Please get twenty Blood Refinement Pellets for me."
"Young man!"
The elder hesitated for a bit and explained, "Pellets to refine one’s body, if taken too many, the efficacy will diminish. You want to trade for twenty a time. Actually, more than half will go to waste. Also…the cultivation of warriors, the essence lies in Xuan Energy and Realms. There is not much meaning in just having a strong body."
Lu Li understood it all but he insisted on getting the Blood Refinement Pellet. The old man had no choice but to trade twenty Blood Refinement Pellets for him and send him off like he was an idiot…
Lu Li walked to the Hall of Weapons. It was still Patriarch He who was guarding there. Seeing Lu Li, Patriarch He frowned. But he was surprised when he saw Lu Li took out his Token. He asked in doubt, "You bloke. It’s been just a couple of day, where did you manage to get so many contribution points?"
Lu Li smiled and explained randomly while making an obeisance by cupping his hand in the other before his chest, "Lord, I want to go to that place I was in last time and trade for some abandoned Xuan Artifact."
"Abandoned Xuan Artifact?"
Patriarch He also looked at Lu Li as if he were looking at a fool in front of him. Why were Xuan Artifacts so treasured? It was because it could increase the combat ability of warriors. Abandoned Xuan Artifacts were not Xuan Artifacts anymore. Why would he want it? Beside, didn’t Lu Li already have the Heaven Kylin Sword?
Lu Li did not elaborate. Patriarch He opened up the attic and waved at will, "Go inside. Bring out whatever you want."
All were abandoned Xuan Artifacts inside. Patriarch He didn’t bother to go in. He just left Lu Li to go through among the weapons by himself.
After he got inside, Lu Li did start hunting through the piles. But he was putting on an act. Only after Patriarch He went into the main hall of the Hall of Weapons did Lu Li let Little White out from the jute bag. He pointed to the abandoned Xuan Artifacts piling on the ground and said, "Little White, which ones do you like to eat? Have at it!"
"Squeak, squeak~"
Little White’s eyes instantly kindled. It grabbed onto one broken dagger with its two tiny claws and wanted to start eating right away. Lu Li hastily stopped it, picked the dagger up, and let Little White continue to look.
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GOT IT