Chapter 88 First published on Jinjiang, shall I eat you?

When Yao Sisi saw the lightning strike the water, a dense golden electric net appeared on the surface. She was not having an easy time either; both of her magical artifacts were destroyed. Before she could throw out the next one, she was struck by lightning. All she could see was an overwhelming golden lightning, which made her feel that her life was over and she would not even have time to leave a last word.

Suddenly, a very faint halo appeared around her, so faint it was almost invisible. Yet, this faint golden halo blocked most of the lightning, leaving only a small portion to strike her.

That faint color also disappeared into the world after the tribulation.

The residual lightning within Yao Sisi's body sizzled and baked, leaving her too weak to get up. However, she was no longer worried that the spirit would harm her, because she had heard a terrible scream earlier, and the spirit was probably in no better shape.

Her fingers twitched, and the first thing she did was sense the sky. The energy in the air that had wanted to destroy her had dissipated, and the chilling, ever-present gaze was gone. She had successfully transcended her tribulation.

If another wave comes, she really won't be able to hold on. She'll be struck dead in this space, and by next year the grass on her grave will be several meters high.

If it were an ordinary Golden Core tribulation, she would be fully confident in passing it. Even if there were another one, it would only be a bit more difficult. But this tribulation was too abnormal.

Thanks to that faint golden light earlier, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to withstand the final onslaught...

"But what was that golden light?"

She kept this in mind. At the same time, sweet dew fell from the sky. She quickly flashed out of the space and sat cross-legged in the cave to wait for the sweet dew. She felt the life-giving power gradually pour into her whole body, making every pore of her body feel comfortable and excited. All the wounds on her body were also healed under the watering of the sweet dew.

A perfectly round golden elixir hung peacefully in her dantian, as comforting as the warm sun in the sky, making her sigh softly.

I've been promoted successfully, and without any inner demons!

Most cultivators experience inner demon tribulations when advancing to the Golden Core stage. These inner demon tribulations originate from extraterrestrial demons who sense the cultivator's weakness during this advancement period and take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. However, some cultivators do not experience this.

Yao Sisi was the lucky one this time.

What she didn't know was that the extraterrestrial demons were originally preparing to invade her, but because she jumped back and forth between the two spaces, and the tribulation lightning was too unusual, the demons not only failed to find an opportunity, but were also struck to death by the excessively thick tribulation lightning.

It was a complete loss...

But the people outside didn't know that she hadn't gone through the tribulation of inner demons. Many people estimated the time, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Even the person who had spread the message earlier left.

Yao Sisi didn't rush out. She stayed in the cave to consolidate her cultivation and then went into the space to look at the mess on the ground. She asked, "Spirit, how are you?"

Before receiving a reply from the spirit, she sensed it and found that the connection with the spirit was very weak, but it was enough to prove that the spirit was not dead at all. She strolled around the spirit spring, and no matter how she looked at it, this place did not seem like a hiding place. She wondered how the spirit had hidden here.

"Spirit of the artifact, are you there? Are you injured? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

The spirit was vomiting blood. It would never trust this contractor again. He was the most despicable person it had ever contracted!

Yao Sisi wasn't in a hurry. She scooped up a handful of spring water to wash her face, then used a dust-removing spell to clean off the dust on her body, changed her clothes, and went to the cabin.

Before going in, he glanced at the spring and said, "Since you don't want help, then you should rest well!"

The cabin had become more spacious, probably because of her promotion, and the bookshelves she had longed for now had many more jade slips, arranged one after another.

Yao Sisi examined each jade slip one by one, roughly understanding what type they were. She categorized and put them away, then lay back on the large bed in the room and closed her eyes to rest.

Although she was fully recovered after experiencing the sweet dew, she still felt a bit tired because she hadn't fully recovered her energy. Fortunately, the spirit itself had its limitations and couldn't enter the cabin, especially since it was too busy taking care of itself. This gave her some time to rest.

After she finished resting and went out, the spirit of the artifact emerged from its hiding place. At this time, it had been struck by lightning and was almost dead. It could not even manifest its true form. From a distance, it was just a small cloud of dark gray smoke, vaguely resembling a strange human face.

"If I could go back to the past, I would never have made a contract with this seemingly easy-to-deal-with host!"

As soon as Yao Sisi left the space, she went to register her identity card. Now that she was a Golden Core cultivator, her sect allowance was more than before after she changed her identity card.

At the same time, having been a disciple for so long, it's time for her to do some sect missions.

After registering her identity card, Yao Sisi took a walk around the mission hall. She didn't plan to take on any too troublesome missions. She glanced at the list and accepted a weapon crafting mission.

To refine a batch of high-grade magical beast cages, the sect must prepare all the materials. If 30 out of 100 materials are produced, the task is considered complete. Any excess results can be settled according to the sect's contribution points.

Beast-locking cages are also graded. Yao Sisi took on a high-grade one, which can trap monsters of around level six. It requires 30 finished products, and it would take an ordinary person one or two months to complete.

However, she didn't need to, nor would she publicize it. After accepting the mission, she didn't have time to inquire about anything else, so she went to the library first.

As the peak master, she has few restrictions on going to the library, but she does need contribution points to make copies. This is much better than ordinary disciples, who need to exchange for opportunities to go to the library, rather than going whenever they want.

After entering the library, Yao Sisi began to search extensively for jade slips related to artifact spirits.

She focused on observing items related to weapon crafting and some miscellaneous notes, but the library was too large. She spent more than ten days in it without finding any relevant content, but she did see many strange things, which enriched her knowledge.

After immersing herself in the library for so long, Yao Sisi was feeling overwhelmed. Her brain had too much to process, so she simply left the library and returned to Jinming Peak to meditate, taking a short break for a few days.

When she came out of the pass, she smelled the rich aroma of roasted meat outside the mountain peak. Following the smell, she saw Qi Mu preparing the food.

When the other person saw her come out, they smiled and said, "Congratulations on your promotion!"

After she emerged from seclusion, her cultivation level had increased, making her movements unpredictable to others. Qi Mu probably didn't know that she had been hiding in the library for many days, and she didn't explain it. Seeing that his cultivation level had also increased significantly, she said, "Congratulations to you too."

Qi Mu nodded: "Your previous tribulation was terrifying. Were you injured?"

Yao Sisi: "Don't even mention it. I was in despair when the lightning tribulation came down. I thought I was definitely not going to survive it. But I was lucky and survived. I was really badly injured. I was like a spinning top in a mud pit. I couldn't get up no matter what I did. Fortunately, after I survived the lightning tribulation, I was cleansed by sweet dew, which allowed me to recover quickly."

Qi Mu asked worriedly, "If the Golden Core Tribulation is this terrifying, what about your Nascent Soul Tribulation?"

Yao Sisi felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about that scene. "Young Master, please don't remind me of that yet. I've only just gotten through it. Let me have a few good days!"

Qi Mu said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Miss Sisi, you haven't had anything good to eat these days, have you? I specially prepared some roast meat for you. Come and have a taste."

Yao Sisi is already able to abstain from grains after achieving the Golden Elixir, but who would refuse delicious food in front of them?

"Thank you, young master. My mouth has been so bland these past few days, I really need a feast with strong flavors like this. Um... do you have any wine?"

Qi Mu noticed that her gaze was fixed on him, as if he were the only one in her heart and eyes. He felt a little embarrassed, and the tips of her ears, hidden in her dark hair, blushed slightly. He didn't refuse, but said, "Can you drink less?"

Yao Sisi readily agreed: "Sure, I'm not an alcoholic. I won't drink even if you give me more, right?"

Qi Mu pretended not to understand her playful banter and simply said, "Then I'll pour you a cup of sake, just one cup!"

Yao Sisi: "..."

"I'm on my own peak, so having a couple more drinks won't hurt."

Qi Mu thought to herself: Although she is on her own peak, if she is really drunk, who can control her? Right now, she has the highest cultivation level, and I'm afraid even if everyone attacked together, they wouldn't be able to stop her from acting crazy while drunk.

"Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health. Let me fill your glass, and you can drink it slowly, isn't that better?"

Yao Sisi thought to herself: Well, at least I've had some alcohol on me.

Seeing that he had indeed filled her cup, she couldn't resist taking a small sip. The mellow, slightly spicy flavor and lingering taste made her want to drink more.

Qi Mu cut the meat and handed it to her, saying, "Try it. I made a new seasoning, and it tastes different from before."

He wasn't actually that good at these things, but he learned some because she liked them. He specifically sought out these seasonings from Shi Xiu.

Upon hearing that it was a new flavor, Yao Sisi became interested and took a bite. "Wow, it's delicious!"

Seeing that she was enjoying her meal, Qi Mu felt that the time spent on this trip over the past few days had not been wasted: "Then eat more. I'll pack a few more portions for you and put them in your storage bag. You can take them out and eat them whenever you want."

Yao Sisi: "Okay, okay, you're so considerate. Hmm, why is it just the two of us today? Where's Brother Liu Yuan?"

Qi Mu said, "He's in seclusion. He's probably about to break through. He's been working even harder than before because he's worried about falling too far behind after seeing how you and I have been discouraged by our consecutive breakthroughs these past few days!"

Yao Sisi showed an appreciative expression: "Brother Liu Yuan is really teachable. By the way, young master, I've taken on some sect missions. Don't forget to take on some too, otherwise we'll become freeloaders in the sect."

Qi Mu: "Okay, I understand. Does Miss Sisi have any plans recently? Are you going out to find inspiration for your natal magic weapon?"

Yao Sisi: "No, I will be going into seclusion soon, and I need to complete the sect's mission. After that, I will consider the matter of my natal magic weapon."

The two ate and chatted, and after she finished a glass of wine, her vision began to blur.

She waved her hand in front of her eyes, and her fingers happened to grab Qi Mu's hair. At this moment, Qi Mu was cleaning up the mess. Seeing that she was full, he didn't want to eat anymore. Unexpectedly, he had only cleaned up halfway when she caught a strand of his hair in her palm.

Yao Sisi's mind wasn't quite clear. She looked at the dark, slippery thing in her hand, which looked just like a loach.

She played with this when she was very young, but hasn't played with it since she grew up.

For a moment, she found it particularly interesting. She held onto the strand of black hair with both hands and followed it to Qi Mu's head, her gaze sweeping over his hairpin for a long time with a hazy look.

"What is this thing?" She felt it was in the way, delaying her from catching loaches. With one hand, she knocked off the person's hair ornament, and the long, flowing hair was completely spread out, swaying gently in the breeze. Yao Sisi was happy, "Great, now it'll be easier to catch them!"

Qi Mu was taken aback at first, but seeing that she was smiling and having fun, he didn't disturb her. He let her play while he tidied up the tableware.

When he finished cleaning up, the other party still hadn't had enough fun. Moreover, because of his higher cultivation level, his body, which had been tempered by the lightning tribulation, was more resistant to intoxication and he didn't feel sleepy at all.

He said, "Miss Sisi, let me take you back to your bed!"

Yao Sisi vaguely heard someone telling her to go to sleep, but she shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, no, I'm not sleepy. I'm catching loaches. After we catch them, we'll roast them and eat them!"

Qi Mu coaxed, "I don't want to eat loach anymore, how about we go and rest?"

Yao Sisi looked puzzled, sparks flying from her fingertips as she tried to roast the loach in her hand: "How could I not want to eat loach? It's so delicious! I'll eat one and show you."

Qi Mu saw that she was about to light a fire. Fortunately, his contracted spirit fire had high fire resistance, otherwise he would have been ruined by her.

He took her hair from her palm and tied it behind his back with a hairpin. "You're sleepy, why don't you go to sleep?"

Yao Sisi was a typical drunkard and wouldn't listen to reason. When she saw the loach being snatched from her hand, she grabbed Qi Mu's collar and demanded, "If you're not going to eat it, why won't you let me eat it! If you don't give me the loach, I'll eat you!"

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Author's Note: The author, always eager for drama, held up a light stick and shouted, "Eat him! Eat him!"