Chapter 196: Cao Ying! Innate Spiritual Body!
After becoming an elder of Dan Tower, Xiao Ze received a significant amount of merits. After exchanging for the ingredients for the Xuanyang Pill at the Ingredient Tower, he returned to his Elder Tower.
A black stone tower with an ancient appearance and extreme sturdiness. Additionally, there was a spatial barrier set up by experts from Dan Tower that could even withstand the attacks of a Dou Zong. This demonstrated how important the Dan Tower was to its elders.
Taking out his elder badge and placing it at the detection point at the entrance, the door opened automatically.
The interior of the tower was quite simple, although people could be sent to redecorate it. Xiao Ze didn't pay much attention to these details; he just needed a place to stay.
"Young Master Xiao Ze, you're back."
Qing Lin quickly came out, with a look of relief in her eyes.
"Qing Lin." Xiao Ze looked her up and down. "Have you made another breakthrough?"
"Yes, Young Master Xiao Ze, since I can't help you much, I can only focus on my cultivation." Qing Lin said, blushing.
Xiao Ze patted Qing Lin's little head; this girl was so considerate that it made him feel compassionate.
"Come on, I'll take you to hunt some serpent-type magical beasts. Now that I'm an elder of Dan Tower, we have a bit more security."
Xiao Ze joked, and Qing Lin nodded enthusiastically. She knew that with her Green Three-Flower Eyes, she could only grow quickly by contracting serpent-type magical beasts by force. Otherwise, she might never keep up with Young Master Xiao Ze.
"By the way, Young Master Xiao Ze, people from Dan Tower asked earlier if you needed more maids to manage the Elder Tower."
"What do you think? Now you're my exclusive maid, do you think we need more maids?" Xiao Ze asked with a smile, and Qing Lin frowned, thinking carefully.
"I think it's not necessary. Although the Elder Tower is big, I can manage it well on my own, and besides, you need peace and quiet to refine pills."
"Then, we'll do as you say."
Xiao Ze took Qing Lin to a mountain range within Dan Tower's domain, where the energy of heaven and earth gathered, nourishing the creatures within the mountain. Xiao Ze could sense many powerful presences in the mountain.
"There shouldn't be any members of magical beast families near Dan Tower, right?" Xiao Ze murmured to himself; for now, he didn't want to provoke the magical beast families. He would do so when he had enough power.
After exploring the entire mountain range, Xiao Ze captured five Dou Huang-level serpent-type magical beasts for Qing Lin. Additionally, there were dozens of lower-level serpent-type magical beasts.
Seeing Qing Lin tame a Dou Huang-level magical beast, Xiao Ze couldn't help but admire the strength of Zhongzhou. These were just common magical beasts; the truly attractive ones were those with powerful bloodlines from magical beast families.
Xiao Ze's spiritual perception expanded, always cautious. Suddenly, he sensed several presences approaching rapidly. Looking at Qing Lin, who was still taming the magical beast, Xiao Ze jumped into the air. He no longer hid his aura, and the approaching presences were surprised to feel it.
Xiao Ze wore the Dan Tower elder's uniform and carried his elder badge. Previously, he had hidden his identity to avoid trouble, but now that he had the backing of Dan Tower, he no longer needed to do so. With this uniform, people would be eager to offer him benefits.
Among the approaching presences, Xiao Ze saw an old man with white hair and a fierce glint in his eyes. However, what really caught Xiao Ze's attention was a woman behind the old man. In her personal state, there was a golden flash. An Innate Spiritual Body! The golden letters indicated the nobility of her ability.
The woman had a slender figure, dressed in a long black dress radiating a cold arrogance. Her skin was as white as snow, her face thin but exquisite. A smile on her lips made her already beautiful face appear even more charming. She was the demon woman of the Cao family, Cao Ying!
"This elder seems new around here, could you tell me your name?" The old man with fierce eyes asked respectfully, "We're from the Cao family, searching for magical cores here."
"Xiao Ze, new elder. It's normal you don't recognize me," Xiao Ze responded politely, "I ask you to wait a moment, my friend is doing something important in the mountain."
The old man showed a doubtful expression, looking at the woman behind him. "Ying'er, what do you think?"
"Hehe, of course, we'll do as Elder Xiao Ze says. His name has already spread throughout Dan Tower today!" The woman smiled, showing a strange attraction in every movement. "Cao Ying of the Cao family, a pleasure to meet you, Elder Xiao Ze."
Cao Ying stared at him intently, with a special glint in her eyes. "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Cao Ying." Xiao Ze bowed his head in gratitude. Although he didn't fear these people, he preferred to avoid conflicts.
He didn't choose to bond with Cao Ying immediately, as he only had one subsidiary bond available. He wanted to see Dan Chen's talent before deciding whom to bond with. Cao Ying looked at Xiao Ze's young face, surprised. She thought this new elder would be very old, someone who had researched alchemy for years. She didn't expect Xiao Ze to be younger than her, which struck her pride as a genius.
Soon after, when Qing Lin's presence stabilized, Xiao Ze bowed his head to them. "Thank you for your patience, we'll meet again another time." Xiao Ze moved quickly toward Qing Lin, having isolated their actions from detection with his spiritual power. Now that Qing Lin had tamed the magical beast, he didn't need further precautions.
"Let's go back to Dan Tower." Xiao Ze patted Qing Lin's head, holding her in his arms as they flew back to Shengdan City.
"Ying'er?" The fierce-eyed old man called out, seeing Cao Ying was distracted.
"Sorry, I got a bit distracted." Cao Ying smiled at the old man, a relative accompanying her in the search for magical cores. But seeing Xiao Ze leave without worry, a spark of interest appeared in her eyes. Perhaps she should ask her master about Xiao Ze… thought Cao Ying as she entered the mountain.
She had always been a genius since childhood, but now Xiao Ze appeared, someone even more talented, and she couldn't help but feel competitive. She wanted to see if Xiao Ze was really so young or if he had some secret to maintaining his youth. As Xiao Ze returned to Dan Tower, he wondered if he should visit the Dan family to see Dan Chen's talent.
In the original story, both had done well in the alchemy competition, creating eight-colored pills.
Dan Chen was younger than Cao Ying, so perhaps in the future he could surpass her.
Back at the Elder's Tower, each one attended to their own matters.
Qing Lin focused on her cultivation, while Xiao Ze went to the top of the tower to prepare the Xuan Yang pill.
(End of chapter)
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