「A month passed.」
Guang Xiaoyu accumulated five Body Refining sessions, consumed four hundred and thirty-seven Spiritual Medicines, and finally managed to significantly enhance the strength of her meridians, opening up her Dantian quite a lot.
When inhaling Qi, her Zhou Tian circulated three hundred times.
"Too pathetic. What am I to do?" Chen Pingping muttered to himself.
Three hundred times? Pathetic? Guang Xiaoyu's small face twisted. If she remembered correctly, ten thousand years ago, when she first started cultivating, her Zhou Tian circulation had only been around two hundred and eighty-odd times.
Seeing Chen Pingping's chagrined expression, she wanted to say, Zhou Tian circulation doesn't determine everything. If one's aptitude is poor... it's still just as poor.
"Senior Brother, why don't you take on another junior brother, or perhaps a junior sister?" Guang Xiaoyu hovered on the brink of collapse. She was a bit tired, mostly because Chen Pingping was too persistent, and her frail body could hardly bear it.
Chen Pingping smiled and said, "I remember Jiuli Peak took in a fellow named Zhuge Wushuang. Hmm... let's go take a look."
"Senior Brother!"
"Hmm?"
"That's a Different Body!"
"I know." His exquisite and perfect face conveyed an air of "it doesn't matter at all." It seemed he either didn't know what a Different Body was or simply didn't care.
She understood.Her Senior Brother, dispirited due to his inability to cultivate, had pinned all his hopes on her.
Guang Xiaoyu felt secretly moved.
Soon, the two of them arrived at Jiuli Peak.
Many young disciples who were cultivating couldn't help but look their way, furrowing their brows and beginning to whisper. They spoke of someone who had herded oxen for three years and was now raising dogs. This person also monopolized all of Qingfeng's resources yet was still so pathetic...
The murmurs grew increasingly unpleasant.
Chen Pingping, for his part, seemed unconcerned, as if he were already accustomed to it.
But Guang Xiaoyu, beside him, found it very distasteful. Her dark eyes occasionally flashed with a hint of coldness. Ignorant little cultivators, how dare you offend this Emperor's Senior Brother? she sneered inwardly. Once this Emperor's cultivation improves, I will definitely cut you all down.
Zhuge Wushuang watched the approaching pair. He had some understanding of Chen Pingping and felt considerable disdain for him. As for Guang Xiaoyu... isn't she that little girl with terrible aptitude? he thought. One spends all day herding oxen and raising dogs, while the other has aptitude that's hit rock bottom. The two of them together are truly a perfect match.
Zhuge Wushuang sneered, "What do you want?"
"Before you entered Breaking Sun, how many times did your Zhou Tian circulate?" Chen Pingping asked.
Zhuge Wushuang laughed. "Are you asking for yourself? Or for her?"
This sentence was deeply insulting. The first part implied: Haven't you reached Breaking Sun even after three years? The second part was aimed at Guang Xiaoyu: Her aptitude is so poor, is reaching Breaking Sun already considered good for her? Does she really need to compare her Zhou Tian circulation count with others?
"You!" Guang Xiaoyu's face flushed with anger. "Is being a Different Body so impressive?"
Such insolence, looking down on people! she thought. In all the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, no one has ever dared to humiliate this Emperor like this!
She was ready to act, but Chen Pingping stopped her. "How many?"
Zhuge Wushuang stated arrogantly, "Two hundred and ninety times."
Guang Xiaoyu laughed.
Chen Pingping paused, stunned. "That pathetic?"
Having received his answer, there was no need to linger. Chen Pingping, however, had never imagined that a Different Body would only have a Zhou Tian circulation count of two hundred and ninety.
It seems those four hundred-plus Spiritual Medicines weren't used in vain after all!
After the two had departed, Zhuge Wushuang, standing behind them, finally snapped back to his senses. His handsome, energetic face darkened considerably. He actually said, 'That pathetic?'
「On a hillside of Qingfeng.」
Chen Pingping brought over the Old Yellow Ox. "Attack this Old Yellow Ox now," he said. "I want to see how much force you have."
The Old Yellow Ox looked on blankly, its face full of reluctance.
"Senior Brother, I can handle my cultivation myself." Guang Xiaoyu glanced sideways. She was almost certain that this Old Yellow Ox before her was no ordinary farm animal.
If I attack it, not only will I gain nothing, but I might even be scorned by it, or worse, kicked. One must remember, even a Demon Emperor has dignity to maintain! Besides, only by getting away from Senior Brother can I truly cultivate properly!
Chen Pingping frowned. "Our Master may be busy and has no time to teach you cultivation, but your Senior Brother is still here! And besides, with such poor aptitude, can you really manage to cultivate on your own?"
"I... my aptitude isn't poor," Guang Xiaoyu protested, feeling like she was about to cough up blood.
Chen Pingping thought, Not poor? And yet she needed over four hundred Spiritual Medicines? Not poor? And she required Body Refining five times? Ai, Junior Sister is really just being stubborn... Oh well!
Chen Pingping smiled. "Then go ahead! If you have any problems, come and ask me."
MOO!
The Old Yellow Ox let out a low moo, and Hei, the little black dog, barked chaotically as always.
Guang Xiaoyu left hurriedly, her heart joyful.
Finally free! This Emperor will now begin to cultivate diligently! Hmph, that dispirited Senior Brother of mine, just you wait to bask in this Emperor's glory! And those ignorant young disciples who dared to offend my Senior Brother—despicable! Hmm, let this Emperor think... which Cultivation Technique would be best to practice?
In her hundred thousand years of cultivation, the Demon Emperor had amassed a vast collection of powerful Cultivation Techniques in her mind. However, it was precisely because there were so many that she found it difficult to choose at this moment.
The Nine Revolutions Demon God Skill seems pretty good. She had brought this Cultivation Technique out from a Life Prohibited Zone. It encompassed Ten Thousand Forms and was ever-changing, much like the legendary Supreme Demon Tao. Back then, she had always been eager to try it. Unfortunately, her own cultivation path was already fixed, making it impossible to start anew. Later, she considered passing it to her disciples to test it out. But... before she could pass it on, those disciples betrayed her. Just you all wait...
Guang Xiaoyu's expression turned grim, and the murderous aura around her intensified. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and suppressed it. If she had alarmed the high-level experts of the Wuji Sect, she would likely have been unable to handle the consequences. After all, she was just getting started.
However, she was unaware that this murderous aura had already alerted Chen Pingping. He had silently approached her door. His brow furrowed and then smoothed out from time to time. He seemed to be hesitating.
Chen Pingping wondered, Just now... was that my imagination? Why would Junior Sister possess such an intense murderous aura?
Inside the room, Guang Xiaoyu began to circulate the Nine Revolutions Demon God Skill.
This Cultivation Technique was ferocious and tyrannical, possessing the intent to devour Divine Souls. The slightest misstep could lead to irreversible doom; it was exceptionally perilous.
It was only because she was the reincarnated Demon Emperor that she chose such a terrifying Cultivation Technique; anyone else would hesitate just upon hearing its name.
However, this Demon Emperor was not the Demon Emperor of old. Reborn, she was merely a weak young girl with poor cultivation aptitude, starting everything from scratch. Her Dantian, physical body, and Divine Soul were far from meeting the requirements for the Nine Revolutions Demon God Skill. Forcing its cultivation was bound to trigger a backlash.
Outside the door, Chen Pingping's expression changed drastically. He rushed in like a whirlwind. Too reckless!
When Guang Xiaoyu awoke, it was already the third day. Her face was pale, her lips purplish, and her entire body felt weak and powerless.
Seeing Chen Pingping, who had fallen asleep nearby, she weakly called out, "Senior Brother."
"Ah?" Chen Pingping woke with a start from his dream. "You're awake?"
She made an "Mhm" sound, faint as an insect's hum, and added, "Senior Brother, I'm hungry."
Guang Xiaoyu thought with lingering fear, her heart still palpitating from the experience, A miscalculation, a grave miscalculation. The Nine Revolutions Demon God Skill is truly terrifying. It seems I'll have to wait until after I reach Breaking Sun before I can cultivate it.
Before long, Chen Pingping entered with a bowl of white porridge. He smiled and said, "Poor aptitude doesn't mean everything. What matters is that you're willing to work hard, never give up, and don't fear the road ahead. Throughout history, there have been countless individuals who achieved greatness late in life!"
"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother." Guang Xiaoyu took a few mouthfuls of porridge and asked, her words muffled, "Senior Brother, did our Master leave behind any Cultivation Techniques for us?"