Chapter 30: Everyone Has a Daoist Partner!

What Xiao Ming didn't know was that deep within the Modian Pavilion, in a secret quiet room...

Two old men sat facing each other. In the Void Realm before them, the scene from the top floor of the pavilion was being projected, showing Xiao Ming communicating with and comprehending the nine great Cultivation Technique demon orbs simultaneously. Seeing this, the burly Pavilion Guardian's voice echoed in the room like muffled thunder: "Comprehending nine great Cultivation Techniques at once? This boy... is being a bit too arrogant. Could that girl Luo Hongyi have misjudged him?"

Opposite him, the thin Pavilion Guardian let out a raspy laugh, like dry leaves rubbing together: "Jie jie... Old man, what's the rush? This boy possesses a Heaven-Defying Physique and is quite eccentric; he cannot be judged by common sense."

The burly Pavilion Guardian's mountain-like brows furrowed slightly over time, a rare trace of doubt flashing in his lava-like eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Indeed, this boy... is truly wicked. Isn't he afraid his Soul will be blown apart by these nine completely different Supreme demonic intents in an instant?"

Over the next three days, the two Pavilion Guardians witnessed Xiao Ming's Heaven-Defying act of devouring the nine great Demonic Techniques. Their initial doubt had already turned into immense shock.

"Incredible... truly incredible!" The disdain on the burly Pavilion Guardian's face had long since vanished, replaced by unprecedented shock. "Three days... to Revered Master nine great Demonic Techniques! Unheard of!"

The thin Pavilion Guardian remained silent for a long time, the spectral light in his eye sockets flickering before finally turning into a long sigh: "That girl Luo Hongyi... has picked up a future Demonic Path Supreme for our Sect... Haha... Hahaha!"

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Xiao Ming opened his eyes once more, the Modian Pavilion seemed to exert a force of rejection against him. In the depths of his pupils, countless tiny demonic runes flashed and vanished, and the aura around him became deeper and more restrained, faintly merging with the surrounding atmosphere.

"Demon Heart Stir can bewitch people's Souls and twist their will; Blood Sea Pagoda Scripture is fierce and overbearing, a top-tier Body Refining technique; Great Nirvana Soul Palm annihilates the Soul and is incredibly terrifying; Magic Light Escape is unparalleled for life-saving escapes..." Xiao Ming's thoughts raced. Although he hadn't Cultivated them deeply, he understood all the Cultivation Techniques perfectly. In the future, he would only need to use them daily or hone them in actual combat to become proficient.

This was equivalent to him gaining many more eccentric methods, and his foundation instantly deepened by countless times! Xiao Ming stood up, feeling the increasingly strong rejection force. He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and turned toward the light screen. He murmured to himself, 'Next is the heavenly demon ranking competition in two days. Lin Fan, don't you dare disappoint me!'

After Xiao Ming left, the two old men slowly opened their eyes, watching the figure that had already disappeared. The burly Pavilion Guardian exhaled a breath of burning air, causing the demonic flames in the room to flicker. His voice was like muffled thunder, yet carried an unprecedented determination: "This boy is destined to be extraordinary! If we pour all our resources into nurturing him, he will surely lead our Heavenly Demon Sect to reclaim the glory of the ancient number one Sect of the Demonic Path! It's about time our Sect's Saint position reappeared in the world, isn't it?"

Then, the two of them looked at each other and instantly reached a consensus.

"Let's go." The burly Pavilion Guardian slowly stood up, demonic runes flowing around him as his aura revived like a mountain range. "We'll go see that girl Luo Hongyi. This boy shall be the Saint!!"

"Jie jie... As it should be." The thin Pavilion Guardian let out a low laugh, his figure merging into the shadows like a ghost.

On the other side, after leaving the Modian Pavilion, Xiao Ming did not return to his Revered Master's sleeping quarters. He knew well that in this Immortal Realm where the weak are prey to the strong, only strength could get him everything he wanted. Looking at his nearly depleted Villain Points, he sighed and walked toward the market below the Sect. Currently, the Villain Points he possessed were pitifully low, and he couldn't exchange them for anything. He planned to fleece another batch of sheep to prepare for a rainy day. A moment later, he reached his destination. The [Heavenly Fate Looting System] had already quietly activated, and various Luck pillars of light appeared in his field of vision. Like a patient hunter, he searched through the bustling crowd.

Soon, he locked onto a male Cultivator with "yellow" Luck, who was happily fiddling with a piece of Ore he had just found that looked ordinary. However, based on the System's prompt, Xiao Ming learned that this Ore contained a trace of rare "Sinking Silver Essence," a key supplementary material for refining certain special Magical Artifacts. It was only wrapped in an ordinary stone skin and hadn't been discovered yet.

Xiao Ming approached quietly, preparing to strike up a conversation and trick him into selling it at a low price.

Just then, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a slightly noisy commotion ahead and to the side.

He saw a charming woman with a fiery figure in a red dress being half-embraced by a male Cultivator in fine clothing. The woman was the female Disciple named Chi Lianer whom Xiao Ming had met not long ago, while he didn't recognize the male Cultivator. However, the small blood-colored sword pattern on his chest already revealed his identity. The two had just come out of a luxurious shop selling women's dresses. The man had a boastful look on his face, and his voice was quite loud: "Lian'er, what do these common things matter? Tomorrow I'll take you to the Treasure Artifact Pavilion to see some real treasures!"

Chi Lianer wore a perfectly timed flirtatious smile and said in a soft voice, "Senior Brother is the best to Lian'er!" Although she looked submissive on the surface, a trace of suppressed humiliation and disgust flashed deep in her eyes from her stiff body.

The commotion here naturally drew the side-glances and low-voiced discussions of many nearby Cultivators.

"Look, it's Senior Brother Tu Yu and Senior Sister Chi Lianer! They truly are a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!" a Disciple said enviously.

"Yeah, Senior Brother Tu is the only son of Peak Master Tu of War Demon Peak! With countless resources, Senior Sister Chi Lianer has found a good home by following him."

"But Senior Sister Chi Lianer's figure... is truly amazing! If I could just have a taste of her beauty, I'd be willing to lose ten years of my life!"

"Shh! Keep it down! Do you want to die? How dare you fantasize about Senior Brother Tu Yu's woman?"

Although the surrounding discussions were low, they reached Xiao Ming's ears without missing a word. He immediately understood the man's identity and the relationship between the two. Oh, so they're Dao Companions! That male Cultivator is named Tu Yu, the son of Tu Gang, the Peak Revered Master of War Demon Peak.

But as Xiao Ming observed, his gaze couldn't help but turn strange. He looked closely at Tu Yu's face, which could barely be called decent, and a strong sense of bewilderment and suspicion rose in his heart.

'Tu Gang's son?' He recalled the burly Peak Revered Master of War Demon Peak, whose face was fierce and almost hideous. Comparing the two in his mind, he couldn't help but secretly complain: 'This Tu Yu's appearance... it's not just that it has nothing to do with his father, it's simply... full of doubts! Could it be that Peak Master Tu's wife...' An absurd thought popped up uncontrollably, '...or does Peak Master Tu have experience being a cuckold?'

The thought flashed through his mind, and Xiao Ming felt it was a bit boring. He laughed to himself and shook his head. There were countless strange techniques in the cultivation world, and changing one's appearance or Physique was not difficult. Perhaps it was the influence of a Cultivation Technique, or maybe Tu Yu took after his mother's side. Well... maybe... probably!

He then threw this boring speculation to the back of his mind, his gaze returning to calm as he turned to continue his "transaction."

However, the moment he turned his head, perhaps because his gaze had lingered a bit too long, or because Chi Lianer was exceptionally sensitive to the surrounding gazes.

Her eyes happened to meet Xiao Ming's calm, wave-less eyes that seemed capable of piercing through everything!

The flirtatious smile on Chi Lianer's face instantly froze like a shattered mask. A sense of shame, as if she had been stripped of her disguise and exposed at her most unsightly, washed over her like ice water, making her whole body turn cold. Why was he here!

SheSubconsciously wanting to break free, this movement that her Senior Brother Tu noticed, as he grumbled dissatisfiedly, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing!" Chi Lianer hurriedly lowered her head, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible panic. She said with a forced smile, "Senior Brother, there seem to be Spirit Fruits for sale over there. Shall we go take a look?" She somewhat disdainfully pulled the confused Senior Brother Zhao and left in a hurry, her back appearing rushed and even a bit stumbling.

On the other side, Xiao Ming remained unperturbed; it was just a small interlude. He turned to the Disciple holding the Ore and quickly completed the transaction, obtaining the "Sinking Silver Essence" at a very low price.

[Ding! Successfully intercepted yellow Luck target...]

...

[Ding! Successfully intercepted orange Luck target...]

[Ding! ...]

In this way, Xiao Ming busied himself tirelessly in the market for a while. Seeing that his Villain Points had all returned, he no longer stayed and turned to walk toward his residence. Next, he would use the time before the big competition to familiarize himself with the Cultivation Techniques he had just mastered.

Xiao Ming walked calmly. As he passed the edge of the Core Disciple residential area and was about to head toward the ordinary Disciple residential area, his gaze inadvertently caught something, and his footsteps paused imperceptibly.

Not far ahead, under an ancient tree with lush branches and leaves, stood two people. One of them was a woman dressed in a sky-blue waist-cinching long dress with a plain white gauze outer garment. She was tall, her jade-like legs were extremely eye-catching and slender, and her temperament was as cold and elegant as a lonely orchid in a valley. She was Mo Qingzhu, whom he had just met. Beside her was a refined and elegant male Cultivator in extraordinary clothing.

At this moment, the male Cultivator was taking out an elegant Jade Hairpin with a faint spiritual resonance from his Storage Ring, a gentle smile on his face. He slowly handed it to Mo Qingzhu.

Mo Qingzhu didn't dodge either. Her cold face remained calm as she nodded slightly and said softly, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, dappling the two of them and outlining a harmonious and well-matched picture.

However, Xiao Ming, taking in this scene, felt a flash of surprise in his heart, which then turned into a playful scrutiny.

'Mo Qingzhu? Whoa, this woman actually has a Dao Companion?' Xiao Ming's brow twitched imperceptibly. In his brief previous contact with her, his impression was that her personality was quite cold and aloof, as if she didn't care about anything around her, possessing a bit of an otherworldly air. He didn't expect that in private, she would accept a man's gift. These two... their relationship is not ordinary!

"Heh, interesting." Xiao Ming couldn't help but recall the scenes of meeting the two women earlier, and the corners of his mouth curled up. A certain unknown attribute was skyrocketing, startling even himself. He hurriedly shook his head to cast aside these strange thoughts for the time being, and his face returned to its original calm. He withdrew his gaze, no longer lingering, and walked straight toward his original residence.