126: He took the initiative to arrange a meeting! The Bloodthirsty Bead! Nangong Wan's surprise!

Chapter 126: Proactive Meeting! blood devouring pearl! Nangong Wan's Surprise!

Watching that white figure disappear behind the door of the innermost private room on the second floor, Lu Qiu felt a slight ripple in his heart.

Nangong Wan... why would she appear here?

Would a Core Formation Stage Cultivator actually come to this Zhenwei Pavilion to satisfy their appetite like an ordinary Cultivator?

He suppressed the surprise in his heart and that trace of inexplicable throbbing, walking down the stairs with a normal expression.

While settling the bill at the first-floor counter, Lu Qiu asked the attendant who had guided him earlier as if casually, "That white-clothed Fairy who just went upstairs has an extraordinary air about her. Is she a regular guest of your pavilion?"

Hearing this, the attendant's face immediately showed a mix of respect and pride, and he lowered his voice, "The Lord has good eyes! That Fairy is indeed one of our pavilion's most distinguished guests. Every time she comes, she only goes to the 'Tingxue Pavilion' on the second floor. That is our pavilion's best and only long-term reserved private room; no one else is allowed to use it. Although the Fairy's cultivation is unfathomable, she has a very good temper and has never been seen putting on airs with the servants."

"So that's how it is." Lu Qiu nodded slightly, understanding.

This Nangong Wan was actually a person of true character who knew how to enjoy herself, not just someone who blindly practiced bitter cultivation.

After a moment of deliberation, he took out five Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch, calmly pressed them into the attendant's hand, and whispered, "Little brother, I need a favor. When that white-clothed Fairy leaves later, give this note to her. Remember, you must hand it to her personally and not let anyone else know."

Squeezing the Spirit Stones in his hand and looking at the neatly folded white note Lu Qiu handed over, which was sealed with wax on the edges, a flash of hesitation crossed the attendant's face.

But five Spirit Stones were no small extra income for him, and this Foundation Establishment Senior before him didn't look like a bad person. Just delivering a note... it should be fine, right?

That Fairy also had a good temper, so she probably wouldn't blame him.

"Rest assured, Immortal Master, I will certainly get it done." The attendant ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the Spirit Stones, carefully tucked the note into his bosom, and promised.

Lu Qiu said no more and turned to leave Zhenwei Pavilion.

He didn't return to the small courtyard immediately but circled the market a few times. After confirming no one was following him, he quietly returned to his rented courtyard.

In the courtyard, Hei Sha had already returned from the Wind and Moon Tower and was sitting quietly to regulate his breathing.

Lu Qiu could clearly feel that the Incarnation's aura was much more solid than before, and his cultivation had already risen from the fifth level of Qi Refining to the peak of the sixth level, just one step away from the seventh level!

The Primal Yin Power of the "Soft Water Body" Cauldron was indeed an excellent supplement for the Incarnation practicing the Blood Refining Divine Light, with significant effects.

Lu Qiu nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the result of this trip.

He didn't disturb Hei Sha's cultivation and went straight into his own quiet room.

After waving his hand to set up a Restriction, he took out that eerie blood bead he had obtained from Zhao Kang, held it in his palm, and examined it carefully.

Under the soft light of the quiet room, the bead presented a deep and charming crimson. The internal misty blood light seemed to flow and rotate slowly as if alive, emitting a subtle yet extremely pure blood Qi.

Getting closer, he could even faintly smell a trace of a faint, rust-like but more mellow and strange scent.

"What mystery does this object... actually hold?" Lu Qiu pondered.

He tried to probe it with his Divine Sense but felt a strange force field on the surface of the bead, gently blocking his Divine Sense. Inputting Crimson Heaven Mana also felt like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no reaction at all.

After thinking for a while, Lu Qiu forced a drop of his own essence blood from his fingertip and carefully dripped it onto the surface of the blood bead.

A strange scene occurred!

As soon as that drop of crimson essence blood touched the bead, it was like a water droplet falling on a red-hot iron. With a soft "hiss," it was instantly absorbed completely by the blood bead!

The red light on the surface of the bead seemed to brighten imperceptibly, and the speed of the blood light flowing inside also quickened slightly!

"It can devour blood?!"

A look of astonishment flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes: "What an eerie bead!"

With a thought, he immediately called Zhao Wen: "Go to the market's Yao Beast stall and buy a strong First-Grade Yao Beast. The species doesn't matter, but its blood and Qi must be vigorous."

"Yes!" Zhao Wen took the order and soon brought back a restrained, sturdy "Iron-Skinned Wild Boar" about the size of a calf from the market.

This was a middle-stage First-Grade Yao Beast, known for its thick skin, tough flesh, and vigorous blood and Qi.

Lu Qiu brought the wild boar to the quiet room, directly knocked it unconscious with mana, and then slit its thick carotid artery.

Hot pig blood with a thick, fishy smell immediately gushed out, guided by his mana into a prepared jade basin.

Soon, the jade basin was filled with half a basin of dark red pig blood.

Lu Qiu gently placed that eerie blood bead into the blood basin.

An astonishing sight appeared once again!

As soon as the blood bead was immersed in the blood, it was like withered wood meeting long-awaited rain. A layer of misty blood light suddenly lit up on its surface!

The blood in the basin seemed to be under an invisible pull, slowly rotating with the blood bead as the center, forming a tiny vortex.

Immediately after, the blood decreased and faded at a speed visible to the naked eye!

That blood bead seemed like a bottomless pit, greedily devouring the blood in the basin!

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, most of the wild boar blood had been devoured, leaving only a little dark red sediment at the bottom of the blood basin.

And that blood bead had now become crystal clear, with a radiant red light. The internal misty blood light was so dense it seemed it would drip out, and the blood Qi it emitted was even more pure and active.

Just as Lu Qiu was observing intently, another change occurred!

On the smooth surface of the blood bead, a drop of liquid the size of a sesame seed, yet incredibly condensed and showing a dark ruby-red luster, suddenly seeped out.

This liquid drop quickly detached from the bead and fell onto the edge of the jade basin. At the moment it touched the air, it transformed from liquid to solid, condensing into a perfectly round dark red small bead even smaller than a grain of rice.

Lu Qiu carefully picked up this small dark red bead and placed it in his palm.

The small bead felt slightly heavy in his hand, with a warm touch and no bloody smell. Instead, it emitted a pure, gentle essence of blood Qi full of life and vitality!

The purity of this blood Qi far exceeded that of the Iron-Skinned Wild Boar itself and was extremely peaceful, as if it had undergone the most thorough extraction and purification.

"This... is it extracting the purest blood Qi crystals by removing all the Impurities from the Yao Beast's blood?" Lu Qiu was shocked.

This eerie blood bead actually had such a miraculous function!

Devouring blood and providing refined essence in return!

He tried to inject a trace of mana into the small dark red bead. The bead warmed slightly, and that pure blood Qi became even more active, with a faint tendency to merge into the mana.

"If I refine or consume this bead..." A thought flashed through Lu Qiu's mind, but he immediately suppressed it.

The origin of this object was unknown. Although its effects seemed tempting, the risk of trying it rashly without thorough verification was too great.

Especially considering that this bead actually came from the body of a Second-Grade Demonic Beast, a "Blood-Patterned Porcupine," it added a bit more eeriness.

Did this Second-Grade Demonic Beast swallow it by accident?

Or was there some other reason?

"Let's call it the 'blood devouring pearl' for now." Lu Qiu settled on a name for this eerie blood bead.

He placed both the small dark red bead and the "blood devouring pearl" itself into a specially made jade box and pasted a Seal Talisman on it.

The origin of this bead was mysterious and required careful consideration. Perhaps it could be used in the future to treat the Bloodline Flood Dragon or to assist the Incarnation in practicing the Blood Refining Divine Light.

After dealing with the blood devouring pearl, Lu Qiu looked at the sky outside the window.

The sun was already leaning to the west, and the twilight began to close in from all sides.

He delayed no longer, changed into a clean green robe, and did not deliberately hide his cultivation. He only gave an instruction to Zhao Wen, "Watch the house, I'm going out," and then quietly left the small courtyard, exited the Yanyue Sect market, and headed towards the Black Water Pool in the west again.

The setting sun dyed the horizon with a brilliant orange-red and deep purple, and the evening breeze carried the unique freshness and coolness of the mountains and forests.

The Black Water Pool appeared even deeper and quieter in the twilight. The dark water surface reflected the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds, with occasional unknown water birds gliding across, creating ripples.

Lu Qiu chose a large rock with an open view far from the pool, stood with his hands behind his back, and waited quietly.

His state of mind was quite peaceful. Since he had proactively handed over the note, he was prepared for various possibilities.

About an hour later, when the last ray of light on the horizon was about to be swallowed by the distant mountains, a cold white light, like a meteor piercing the twilight, came from the sky and landed silently by the Black Water Pool, just across the pool from the rock where Lu Qiu was.

The light dissipated, revealing Nangong Wan's figure.

She was still in white, her face lightly veiled, but those eyes, as clear as a cold pool, appeared exceptionally bright in the twilight.

She didn't seem to deliberately restrain that unique aura belonging to a Core Formation Cultivator. Just by standing there, the surrounding air seemed to stagnate a bit, and the night birds and insects fell silent.

Lu Qiu didn't dare to be negligent. With a movement of his body, he floated down from the large rock. Across dozens of yards of pool water, he bowed to Nangong Wan in a standard Junior's salute: "Junior Lu Qiu greets Senior Nangong."

Nangong Wan's gaze fell on Lu Qiu. Through the veil, she seemed to be slightly startled.

Then, her cold voice sounded, like the light striking of jade, exceptionally clear in this quiet twilight:

"Lu Qiu... it really is you."

Her gaze carefully sized up Lu Qiu. In those eyes that were usually calm and waveless, a trace of hard-to-conceal surprise clearly flowed out for the first time. "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for just a few years, you have actually reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage."

In her tone, besides surprise, there seemed to be a trace of an extremely complex meaning.

This small Cultivator before her, who once had an accidental entanglement with her in the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land and was only in the Qi Refinement Stage at the time, was now actually in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

His growth speed far exceeded her expectations.