The night breeze was gentle, dispersing some of the bloody scent lingering in the forest.

The two didn’t go far, walking for only about half an incense stick’s time before finding a sheltered, hidden hollow to rest.

Zhou Kai directly emptied out the Storage Bags of Hu Yongyu, Xiong Gang, and Wu Yong all at once.

Chen Ziyi held the Roaming Dragon White Jade Body manual in her hands, her jade-white fingertips lightly tracing the cover. Her gaze was focused and delighted, clearly already immersed in it.

Clatter—

A pile of miscellaneous items scattered onto the grass. Among them was even a peeling-paint rattle drum and half a copy of In Front of the Widow’s Door, making Zhou Kai’s mouth twitch.

“Paupers,” Zhou Kai curled his lip, commenting without any courtesy.

After sorting through them, as expected, they were all worthless junk. Broken magical tools, a few low-grade talismans, and several bottles of inferior elixirs—Zhou Kai didn’t even have the interest to spare them a second glance.

However, after thoroughly looting the three Storage Bags, they did manage to scrape together just over three hundred Spirit Stones. Better than nothing.

The only somewhat decent item was Xiong Gang’s Mountain Crashing Hammer, which was taller than a person and pitch-black all over.

Zhou Kai hefted it; it felt heavy in his hand, probably weighing close to a thousand jin. He tried swinging it a few times. The hammer wind howled, powerful and heavy. It was indeed a mid-grade magical tool, with no special features besides being “heavy” and “hard.”

“This hammer…” Zhou Kai stroked his chin, his gaze turning to Chen Ziyi, who was immersed in the cultivation manual beside him. He grinned mischievously. “Ziyi, what do you think of this hammer? Swinging it would definitely be impressive.”

Hearing this, Chen Ziyi looked up and puffed out her cheeks. “You just like to make fun of me!”

Zhou Kai laughed heartily. Well, he’d have to use it himself then.

After tidying up these odds and ends, Zhou Kai finally turned his attention to the main prize of this trip—Fu Sheng’s Storage Bag.

Unlike those three paupers, Fu Sheng’s Storage Bag was clearly much better, and the items inside were more organized.

A blackwood token lay quietly in a corner. On its front was an elegantly inscribed character “Fu,” while the back likely bore their family emblem.

“Golden Copper Dock’s Fu Family…” Zhou Kai rubbed the token. If they ever cross me in the future, once I master the Cicada Raiment Art, I’ll make sure their whole household knows no peace.

Besides the token were two neatly stacked piles of Spirit Stones—one thousand each, totaling two thousand.

“At least there’s some profit here.” Zhou Kai’s lips curled slightly upward, his mood improving a bit.

Additionally, there were several bottles of elixirs. The jade bottles were exquisite, and the pill fragrance was rich, clearly indicating they were not low-grade. Most were for healing injuries and restoring Mana—quite practical for him.

Zhou Kai’s attention was quickly drawn to that Judge’s Brush.

He tried channeling Mana into it. The brush trembled slightly, its tip flickering with black light, making him rather uncomfortable.

Seems my cultivation technique isn’t compatible, Zhou Kai thought to himself. He hadn’t cultivated poison-based arts, so naturally, he couldn’t unleash this Judge’s Brush’s true power.

Finally, his gaze fell upon that dull-colored, unremarkable jade piece.

The jade piece felt warm and smooth to the touch. Its front was carved with vague landscape patterns; its back was completely smooth.

“Truth-Seeking Jade?” Zhou Kai recalled Fu Sheng’s earlier words and probed it with his Divine Sense.

At first, there was nothing unusual. But when he tried using his Divine Sense to carefully examine the jade piece’s interior, a faint resistance emerged that slightly interfered with his Divine Sense penetration.

“Oh?” Zhou Kai became interested. He activated the Cicada Raiment Art, slowly concealing his own cultivation aura.

At that very moment, the dull jade piece actually trembled faintly. An extremely thin layer of faint light shimmered on its surface as if responding to the operation of his technique.

“This is interesting.”

Zhou Kai’s eyes lit up. After testing it repeatedly several times, he understood. This “Truth-Seeking Jade” not only could interfere with a cultivator’s Divine Sense probing but also acted like a “demon-revealing mirror,” reacting to various deceptive or concealing cultivation techniques!

No wonder that bastard Fu Sheng targeted us!

“Good stuff!” Zhou Kai clapped his hands in admiration.

He examined it carefully. The edges of the jade piece had obvious irregular fracture marks; the landscape patterns on it were also only partial. “Could this be a fragment of some powerful treasure?”

If it truly is a treasure fragment… how terrifying must its power have been in its complete form?

Probably capable of discerning heaven and earth—no falsehood could hide from it!

Zhou Kai stored the Truth-Seeking Jade close to his chest inside his robe. This item’s value far exceeded those two thousand Spirit Stones and the Judge’s Brush.

“Husband,” Chen Ziyi’s clear and soft voice interrupted Zhou Kai’s thoughts. She closed the Roaming Dragon White Jade Body manual in her hands and lifted her pretty face; her beautiful eyes shone with unusual brilliance. “This body refinement technique is truly incredibly profound.”

“Oh? What makes it so profound?” Zhou Kai asked with a smile.

Chen Ziyi said excitedly, “Husband, this Roaming Dragon White Jade Body is completely different from other body refinement methods. It doesn’t pursue extreme muscle bulk or brute strength. After cultivating it… not only will one not become burly…”

She paused as if organizing her words; a flash of longing passed through her eyes.

“…but instead, one’s skin will become as fine and smooth as mutton-fat white jade; bones will become crystalline and translucent—reaching the state of ‘jade bones and icy skin.’ More importantly, one’s temperament will also be sublimated accordingly! The book describes that if one can achieve great mastery… one can reach the transcendent state where ‘movement is accompanied by wind and clouds; stillness is graced by moonlight’!”

“Sounds like a technique tailor-made for my celestial beauty,” Zhou Kai teased.

Chen Ziyi blushed and shot him an annoyed look before continuing.

“That’s not all! This technique also comes with its own movement skill called Dragon Roaming the Void. Not only does it make body movements more swift and elusive… if cultivated to an advanced level… one can even flash instantly over short distances while leaving behind three hard-to-distinguish illusory afterimages! The practitioner can choose any one of these afterimages to manifest their true body from! In battle… it would be simply unpredictable!”

Hearing this… even Zhou Kai couldn’t help but be moved. This Roaming Dragon White Jade Body not only enhanced physical constitution but also came with such an exquisite movement skill… Gao Feiyang did well indeed!

“It seems Senior Brother Gao genuinely wants to recruit us,” Zhou Kai mused thoughtfully. “Ziyi… this technique suits your attributes well, too… so you focus on cultivating it first for now… After dawn breaks tomorrow morning… we’ll set off immediately for Minshan Lake… to find that formation master.”

Chen Ziyi found herself a clean bluestone nearby, arranged her robes properly, sat down cross-legged, and soon entered a cultivation state.

Meanwhile… Zhou Kai casually lay down on a grassy patch, his hands behind his head in a pillow-like fashion, gazing up at the deep night sky dotted with stars.

But inside his mind, he kept replaying the earlier battle against Fu Sheng and the others.

He won this time around…

But what about next time?

What if next time there is no Spirit Breaker?

What if next time there just happens to be no “Senior Brother Gao” descending from the heavens, either?

Zhou Kai’s eyes sharpened.

Placing hopes upon others is ultimately like the moon reflected in water—illusory.

Only one’s own strength is the fundamental foundation for standing firm within the cruel cultivation world.

If one’s own strength is weak…

Even possessing many beauties and obtaining many opportunities may instantly turn to bubbles or even become a wedding dress sewn for others!

He must change strategy and prioritize channeling all resources onto himself to boost his strength with the fastest speed!

Then just hole up inside Calamity Abyss Valley!

Thinking thus… Zhou Kai silently recited and opened his own attribute panel.

【Zhou Kai】 【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Fourth Layer (96/400)】 【Vitality: Meridian Opening Fifth Layer (180/500)】

“Meridian Opening Fifth Layer… distance to the second realm Bone Forging Stage probably still needs…”

Zhou Kai silently calculated. If everything goes smoothly, I probably need at least a month’s time…

“One month…” A flash of cold light passed through his eyes. “Chen Xingze, then I can kill you…”

That Chen Family prodigy who sent people to block the door back at his own small courtyard…

This humiliation ultimately needed him to give an account.

Zhou Kai tilted his head and glanced to the side at the quietly cultivating Chen Ziyi, thinking inwardly: During this period, I’m probably going to trouble you again, my good Ziyi…

Just then, without any warning, a system prompt tone rang inside his mind:

【Ding! Beauty Chen Ziyi panel updated!】

Zhou Kai’s spirit perked up immediately, and he concentrated on checking.

【Beauty: Chen Ziyi】 【Vitality: Meridian Opening Fourth Layer (65/600)】

“Huh?” Zhou Kai’s gaze instantly fixed upon Chen Ziyi’s Vitality column.

Meridian Opening Fourth Layer (65/600)?

He remembered clearly before that for Ziyi to breakthrough from the Meridian Opening Fourth Layer to the Fifth Layer required only 400 interaction points, didn’t it?

Why did she now need a full 600 interaction points?!

“What is this situation?” Zhou Kai frowned tightly. “Could it be because she started cultivating the Roaming Dragon White Jade Body?”

“The higher grade the cultivation technique, the more interaction points required for subsequent improvements?”

An unfavorable premonition surged in his heart.

“System, is your grandpa deliberately screwing me?!” Zhou Kai couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

“Back when interacting with Ziqing, you forcibly ended the newbie gift pack and didn’t give universal points… fine, whatever. What else functions do you have? What rules have you got? At least say something?”

No response…

If it was truly like that, then if he himself also cultivated some high-grade technique, wouldn’t the required interaction points skyrocket exponentially?

Obtaining interaction points currently seems to mainly rely upon “Deep Interaction” with beauties…

Each “interaction” yields limited points anyway, and with affection at full value, it’s only ten points. He would need to interact until the monkey year and horse month? Wouldn’t he get drained into a dried-up corpse?

“Work me to death?” Zhou Kai’s face darkened.

“Could it mean that to obtain interaction points besides affection increase, there are other avenues? System Bro, say something, give me a direction, huh?”