Chapter 12: Jiehu Shui Tei Quan

After disposing of the three piles of ash, Emperor Cao Xukun clapped his hands. Remembering the intel Zhao Hu had tearfully blurted out before dying, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"So, I've basically got a Son of Destiny spoiler cheat enabled? All of Young Master Xiao Chen's little schemes are completely transparent to me."

He stretched and made a peace sign at the moon. "The early bird gets the worm, and the early villain gets the opportunities. So, it's the Body Tempering Spring, is it? Young Master Xiao Chen's first little opportunity? Sorry, but I'll be accepting this on your behalf."

"Su Wanqing, Yue'er, I'm heading out for a bit. I'll be back by daybreak." Emperor Cao Xukun shouted into the house, and without waiting for a response from the two women, his figure flashed and vanished into the night.

[System, do you think if Young Master Xiao Chen knew his opportunity had been snatched by me, he'd be so angry he'd ascend on the spot?] Emperor Cao Xukun chatted with the system in his mind.

[Ding! The system suggests the host increase the intensity. If you manage to make Young Master Xiao Chen so angry he suffers from Qi Deviation, the rewards will be doubled.]

"Got it. The main focus is to finish him off completely."

Half an hour later, Emperor Cao Xukun appeared at the foot of Black Wind Mountain, ten miles outside the city. The Body Tempering Spring was hidden in a cave halfway up the mountain. It was a spiritual spring left over from ancient times, containing pure Body Tempering spiritual energy. A normal person could be reborn after soaking in it once; Young Master Xiao Chen had originally intended to rely on it to break through to the Golden Core Mid-stage.

"Good heavens, this concentration of spiritual energy—this is definitely good stuff." Emperor Cao Xukun ducked into the cave, and his eyes lit up as he looked at the steaming, emerald-green spring water.

He didn't waste any time; he stripped off his clothes, jumped in, and activated the Chaos Devouring Origin Art.

In an instant, the spiritual energy in the entire spring erupted like a poked hornet's nest, surging crazily toward Emperor Cao Xukun. Others would soak in the Body Tempering Spring slowly, absorbing it bit by bit, afraid to waste even a sliver of spiritual energy. Emperor Cao Xukun, on the other hand, switched straight to "whale-swallowing" mode. The emerald-green spring water became murky at a rate visible to the naked eye as the spiritual energy was drained completely dry.

"Refreshing!" Emperor Cao Xukun hummed in comfort as the Chaos Spiritual Power within his body surged wildly.

Foundation Establishment Early-stage Peak...

Foundation Establishment Mid-stage!

A powerful force erupted from his Dantian, and the strength of his physical body also increased significantly.

"Now this is what you call an opportunity." Emperor Cao Xukun climbed out of the spring, stretched, and looked at the Body Tempering Spring, which had now turned into ordinary well water. He rubbed his chin. "Leaving just like this would be letting Young Master Xiao Chen off too easily. I need to leave him a souvenir."

He opened the system shop and spent 10 points to buy a pack of [Heavenly Dao-grade Explosive Diarrhea Powder].

[Item Description: Colorless and odorless, dissolves upon contact with water. Anyone below the Golden Core stage will suffer immediate diarrhea upon contact, enough to make them question their life choices; for those above the Golden Core stage, the effect is halved, but even a Saint would be running to the bathroom for three days.]

"You're the one." Emperor Cao Xukun smirked as he sprinkled the entire packet of powder into the spring water and stirred it. "This isn't ordinary laxative; it's the laxative from Wang Wei's poetry. Young Master Xiao Chen, oh Young Master Xiao Chen, I've prepared a detoxification gift package for you. I hope you like it."

After setting everything up, Emperor Cao Xukun hid in a large tree outside the cave, cracking melon seeds and waiting for the show to begin.

Just as the sky began to brighten, footsteps could be heard from down the mountain. Young Master Xiao Chen approached, dressed in white and looking high-spirited, with an expectant smile on his face.

"Hmph, Emperor Cao Xukun, you just wait. Once I finish absorbing the spiritual energy of the Body Tempering Spring and break through to the Golden Core Mid-stage, that will be your death day!" Young Master Xiao Chen said through gritted teeth. "When that time comes, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces, snatch Su Wanqing back, and make her kneel before me and beg for mercy!"

He walked into the cave smugly, completely failing to notice that the color of the spring water was already wrong.

"Great, no one found it!" Young Master Xiao Chen was overjoyed. He stripped off his clothes in a flash and jumped into the spring water with a "splash."

"Refreshing! It truly lives up to its reputation!" He closed his eyes and began to circulate his cultivation technique, preparing to absorb the spiritual energy.

However, the next second, his expression suddenly changed.

A violent, churning pain erupted in his stomach, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his insides.

"Hm? What's going on?" Young Master Xiao Chen frowned. Just as he tried to circulate his spiritual power to suppress it, an intense urge to defecate swept through his entire body.

"Oh no!"

His face turned deathly pale. Before he could even crawl onto the bank, with a "pfft," he transformed into a jet-propulsion warrior on the spot.

The emerald-green spring water instantly turned yellow, and an indescribable stench filled the entire cave.

"Ugh—!" Even Young Master Xiao Chen himself gagged from the smell. He never could have imagined that the Body Tempering Spring he had been looking forward to for three months had actually turned into a septic tank!

"Who? Who did this?!" Young Master Xiao Chen was both ashamed and furious. He roared, trying to crawl onto the bank, but the violent pain in his stomach came in waves, and he couldn't stop it at all.

Outside the cave, Emperor Cao Xukun laughed so hard he nearly fell out of the tree, scattering his melon seeds all over the ground.

"Hahahaha! Young Master Xiao Chen, are you body tempering or are you detoxing?" Emperor Cao Xukun walked out, clutching his stomach and pointing at Young Master Xiao Chen, laughing until he couldn't straighten his back. "Other people gain cultivation when they do body tempering; you gain hemorrhoids, is that it?"

"Emperor Cao Xukun! It's you! It's you who did this, isn't it?!" When Young Master Xiao Chen saw Emperor Cao Xukun, his eyes turned red, and he wished he could pounce on him and bite him to death. But the moment he moved, another round of spraying occurred, and the situation became extremely awkward.

"Oh my, you shouldn't speak without proof." Emperor Cao Xukun spread his hands, looking innocent. "I was just passing by to watch the show. Who knew you had such a heavy taste, enjoying doing this in the spring water?"

"But seriously, Young Master Xiao Chen, with your excretion ability, it's truly a waste of talent if you don't go clean toilets." Emperor Cao Xukun shook his head, clicking his tongue in wonder. "The main focus is self-production and self-consumption, right? You've really brought the Body Tempering Spring to life."

"I'll kill you!" Young Master Xiao Chen was trembling with rage and lunged at Emperor Cao Xukun regardless of anything else. But his legs were weak, and his spiritual power was in chaos. He barely ran two steps before falling face-first into the filth, splattering himself with yellow sludge.

Emperor Cao Xukun stepped back in disgust. "Don't come over, don't come over. I'm afraid you'll splash me."

"Alright, I'm done playing with you." Emperor Cao Xukun brushed the dust off his body and turned to leave. "I'll accept the spiritual energy of the Body Tempering Spring, and this pile of dung can be my return gift to you. Don't thank me, it's the least I could do."

"Right, one reminder: this medicine is quite potent. I estimate you'll be running to the bathroom for three days. You'd better find somewhere deserted; don't go scaring away all the disciples of the Qingyun Sect."

Having said that, Emperor Cao Xukun laughed heartily and strode away.

Inside the cave, Young Master Xiao Chen watched Emperor Cao Xukun's retreating figure, smelled the stench filling the cave, and felt the churning, violent pain in his stomach. His vision went black, and with a "pfft," he spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted flat on the ground.