Chapter 38 A peerless genius woman, if you want to read it, then read it properly...
Bai Ye suddenly turned his head, his face showing an expression of "I've got you," his eyes bright as stars, staring straight at Zhong Jiuli.
Zhong Jiuli didn't flinch, not even a tremor in her eyelashes. She calmly met her gaze, a slight smile playing on her lips, her voice low and slow: "Why would I need to peek?"
She spoke these words with utmost frankness.
Bai Ye's lips parted slightly, as if to say that Zhong Jiuli's reaction was off. Based on her past knowledge of romance from idol dramas, Zhong Jiuli should have blushed, covered her face with her hands, and said shyly, "You're so annoying! I wasn't peeking."
Then she can continue the conversation!
How should she respond now?
"Xiao Wang, what should I say next?" Bai also urgently sought help from the off-stage guests.
[Ding! Ten classic flirting lines!]
Bai quickly glanced at it and selected the top-ranked classic quote.
"Ha, woman, if you want to see, then look to your heart's content." After these words were spoken, the cabin suddenly fell silent.
Liu Xianyue stopped counting the spoils, and Zhong Jiuli's lazy expression disappeared.
The two men simultaneously raised their hands, their fingertips touching her brow, to examine her soul and see if it had been possessed!
"Hey, hey, what are you doing!" Bai struggled.
Her struggles were futile; these two men were several realms higher than her in cultivation, and they could attack her effortlessly.
After examining her, Liu Xianyue stopped and asked with a puzzled look, "She hasn't been possessed, so why did she suddenly go crazy?"
Zhong Jiuli glanced at Bai Ye thoughtfully and made a final conclusion, "Perhaps he's gone mad!"
"That's really going too far," Bai said angrily.
She stopped sitting next to Zhong Jiuli and instead walked to the round table, pulled up a stool, and sat down to help Liu Xianyue carefully count the spoils.
Hey kid, I have a "green tea b*tch" manual here, do you want to see it?
"Don't show me those weird things, or Zhong Jiuli will think I've lost my mind."
"Good luck!" Xiao Wang cheered her on.
"I will do my best!"
Bai was full of confidence. Although her first attempt at flirting ended in failure, she firmly believed that it must be Xiao Wang's problem, not hers.
Next time, I'll definitely succeed! Bai cheered himself on in his heart.
Over the next few days, Zhong Jiuli noticed that the little tiger had become unusually clingy. She would sit on the deck watching the sea of clouds churn, and the little guy would snuggle up to her soft couch, claiming that he wanted to enjoy the scenery with her.
As a result, she lay down on the soft couch and fell fast asleep within minutes. When she meditated in the room, that guy would also squat down beside her to protect her, and would often stick close to her.
In short, she's a bit too clingy, but not annoying.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
Unlike the leisurely return journey of the three women, the pursuit in the desolate mountains was also nearing its end. The black-robed cultivators of the Sima family in Guzhou were almost all killed or wounded, with only a few loyal black-robed guards remaining. They desperately protected the Sima family head, who had become an idiot, and used an invaluable escape talisman to flee back to Wangu City in a sorry state.
Upon landing, they immediately boarded the teleportation array and hastily fled back to Guzhou.
When Yun Shu, the city lord of Wangu City, received the news, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He had thought that this group of people had come with great force and would surely cause a bloodbath, but who knew that they would end up losing their armor and fleeing in panic.
"Looks like we've kicked a hornet's nest. This makes me a little curious. Who exactly provoked them?" Yun Shu smiled slightly and waved behind her.
The guard standing behind her immediately understood, turned around and left the study, sending someone to the border town to investigate what had happened.
The old man Sima had just returned to Guzhou. Not to mention the shock and anger of the Sima family, and the struggle that had begun among the clan members for the position of clan head.
Outside, news of him being beaten into a fool spread like wildfire throughout the entire ancient state.
At first, the major families were just watching the show with a gossipy attitude, after all, the head of a second-rate family was still worth everyone's attention.
Gradually, some people couldn't suppress their curiosity and began to inquire about the inside story.
The news spread like wildfire, becoming increasingly fantastical, and eventually evolved into the following version:
"A peerless genius emerged from the desolate state. At only fifteen or sixteen years old, he was ten zhang tall, with a voice like a bell and a face like a demon. He single-handedly fought against nearly a thousand cultivators from the Sima family. In the end, he opened his mouth wide and roared to the sky, turning the head of the Sima family into a fool!"
Upon hearing this, the young talents of Guzhou were all restless.
"Heh~ One person fighting a thousand people?" The young master of the Wang family sneered, his eyes full of arrogance. "It's just hearsay. Even I wouldn't dare to say that I, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, could stand up to a thousand cultivators."
Upon hearing this news, the young master of the Zhao family smiled contemptuously. "Interesting. It seems I'll have to make a trip to this desolate state. I want to see just how capable this peerless genius really is."
Some of the young masters of the eight great families also passed the news to the young master of the Bai family. After all, when it comes to genius, who in the entire ancient state can compare to the young master of the Bai family?
After hearing the news, Young Master Bai only left one sentence: "A cheap trick!"
There are many other exceptional individuals like them, and many of them looked on with disdain.
As leading figures of the younger generation, who isn't a genius?
......
Inside the courtyard of the White Tiger Tribe.
"Pfft...cough cough cough!" Bai also spat out a mouthful of tea. The news brought by Liu Xianyue was really outrageous.
"Me? A voice as loud as a bell? Ten feet tall?" She pointed to her round cheeks with both chubby little hands, her face full of disbelief.
“That’s how it is, little guy. You’re quite famous outside now. I heard that the City of Eternal Prodigies is almost being trampled to pieces by the geniuses of Guzhou. Even the inns in the city have raised their prices!” Liu Xianyue had a look of anticipation on her face.
“Those people are all looking for you.”
Bai also wanted to laugh. Sure enough, no matter how outrageous the rumor, as long as enough people say it, everyone will believe it.
The saying "three men can make a tiger" is truly accurate!
Zhong Jiuli shook her head and chuckled. The fact that this news could spread in such a strange way meant that Liu Xianyue must have been pulling strings behind the scenes.
After all, many cultivators recorded everything with recording stones at the time, and it is estimated that Liu Xianyue stopped those recording stones.
Otherwise, Bai Ye's true appearance would have been exposed long ago, and they wouldn't have been so peaceful these days. Those geniuses from Guzhou would definitely have rushed over to cause trouble.
"What's wrong? Are you so happy you've gone crazy? No other young genius has become famous overnight like you, with your name resounding throughout the land!" Liu Xianyue said, then reached out to pinch her cheek.
This little guy can be a bit cheeky on a daily basis, but his adorable, chubby face is just so endearing. His cheeks are as soft as freshly steamed glutinous rice balls, making you want to poke and pinch them.
"Don't do anything reckless." Bai Ye covered his cheeks with both hands, twisted his body, and hid in Zhong Jiuli's arms.
Since she's currently in the form of a child, Zhong Jiuli's tolerance for her is at its maximum.
Bai didn't actually like being a child; it's just that many people had already seen her in her original form.
Given his identity, it's best to avoid associating with the White Tiger tribe, lest he bring trouble upon the tribe. Bai can be considered extremely cautious when it comes to protecting his people.
Zhong Jiuli took the opportunity to hug Bai Ye's small body to prevent her from accidentally falling off the soft couch.
They didn't hide their conversation from Bai Shu, but Bai Shu was unusually quiet today. Ever since she heard that the genius of Guzhou was coming here to find Bai Ye, her expression had darkened, her eyes were lowered, and she was staring intently at the teacup on the stone table, lost in thought.
Bai also keenly sensed that Bai Shu's mood was off. He leaned halfway out of Zhong Jiuli's arms and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry! I won't fight with anyone casually. Besides, even if a hundred geniuses came, they wouldn't be a match for me."
"Hmm!" Bai Shu responded softly, forcing a smile. "Of course, Mother believes you. However, those people outnumber us."
Bai Ye wanted to offer a few more words of comfort to reassure Bai Shu.
Liu Xianyue picked up the conversation, "Chief Bai, you can rest assured. Your little brat doesn't have time to play with those hotheads. We have important things to do."
"What important business is it?" Bai replied casually.
"Your sister Zhong said this place is no longer suitable for your cultivation. Today, I'm taking you to a place with abundant spiritual energy to help you form your core," Liu Xianyue said mysteriously.
Bai's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. She had already noticed the problem during her time back home.
The spiritual energy on the outskirts of the desolate mountains is extremely thin. With her current special physique, the amount of spiritual energy she needs to break through to the Golden Core stage is as vast as the ocean. If she continues to cultivate diligently at home, who knows how long it will take before she even touches the threshold of Core Formation.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Jiuli had already noticed this and made arrangements for her in advance.
When Bai Shu heard that they were about to leave again, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"Dongzhou!" Liu Xianyue only uttered these two words.
Upon hearing the name of the place, Bai Shu's tense expression visibly relaxed. She chuckled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Dongzhou is a great place. We can set off now."
"Mother, something's wrong with you." Bai looked at her suspiciously.
Bai also suspected that there were some hidden plot points about Bai Shu that she was unaware of. She asked in her mind, "Little Wang, is there some plot-driven death on Mother's side?"
【No, kid. The script we got is a sweet romance novel; all you need to do is try to get close to the female lead.】
"Oh right, why aren't you giving me any tasks anymore?" Bai also realized that she hadn't received any tasks from the system in a long time. Had this guy stolen her rewards?
[Because I didn't issue any tasks, Yezai himself was already trying his best to get close to the female lead!]
Did you steal my quest rewards?
【You want to do a quest, too? I'll send it to you right now.】 Xiao Wang was straightforward; Bai said he wanted a quest, and she immediately posted it.
[Ding! Please make an effort to achieve close-range communication with the female lead.]
Upon hearing the details of the mission, Bai's eyes widened in surprise. What was this? Xiao Wang was being far too unserious!
"What are you daydreaming about?" Bai Shu pinched and rubbed her little face, laughing and scolding, "You think you're all grown up just because you went out for a trip? You even dare to question your mother's words?"
Bai then came to his senses and mumbled, "No, then why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?"
“This concerns your cultivation, so it can’t be delayed.” Bai Shu said, turning to Zhong Jiuli and bowing respectfully. “I’m sorry to trouble Senior Zhong to take care of my silly child.”
“No need for formalities.” Zhong Jiuli raised her hand to stop Bai Shu from bowing. “In that case, let’s set off.”
After saying that, she reached out and slapped Bai Ye's little bottom.
Bai also stood up with a "whoosh," rubbing his bottom and saying, "Goodbye, Mother. Remember to eat plenty of the spiritual fruits and medicines I brought back. I'll be back soon."
"I know, hurry up and go with your two older sisters, no rush to come back." Bai Shu waved her away.
Liu Xianyue and Zhong Jiuli had already boarded the spirit boat. Whenever there was such a parting, the two would always tacitly give the mother and daughter time to say goodbye.
Bai Ye spoke a few more words with Bai Shu and repeatedly confirmed with Xiao Wang that there was no plot-related death involving Bai Shu before flying onto the spirit boat.
Bai Shu stood in the courtyard, watching the spirit boat gradually disappear into the distance, a relieved smile in his eyes.
After boarding the spirit boat, Bai suddenly remembered something and turned to Liu Xianyue to ask, "Sister Liu, may I bring one more person?"
"Hmm? Who do you want to bring?" Liu Xianyue asked back. As far as she knew, this little guy's friends were all cultivating at the Heavenly Sword Sect.
“Let’s go to the river first. I want to take Jiaojiao to Dongzhou with me. She’s probably never seen the sea before. I want to take her to see it. Besides, the Dongzhou sea is full of spiritual energy, which can help her cultivate.”
Liu Xianyue remembered the golden dragon turtle. Without saying a word, she controlled the spirit boat to turn around and fly towards the river.
The spirit boat had only just set off, and its return journey was even faster. Amidst the surging sea of clouds, it had already returned to the sky above the small river in just a few breaths.
"Jiaojiao, come out quickly!" Bai also flew out and shouted towards the shimmering river.
"What?" Long Jiao arrived extremely quickly, almost the instant Bai Ye finished speaking, she emerged from underwater.
Bai looked at his childhood friend, his eyes crinkling into crescents, his voice full of laughter, "I'm going to Dongzhou with Liu Xianyue and Zhong Jiuli. Do you want to come with me? You've probably never seen the ocean before, right? I heard there's an endless sea in Dongzhou. Would you like to go see it?"
"Yes!" Long Jiao replied without hesitation.
She didn't want to see Haiyu; she wanted to be with Yezai. Ever since that little brat started cultivating, he would be away for half a year or even a year at a time, and she missed him.
"Then shrink a little, and I'll take you with me."
"good!"
After Long Jiao finished speaking, her whole body began to radiate spiritual light, and her huge body, which was as large as a small mountain, began to shrink rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it shrank into a small turtle the size of a palm.
She flapped her four short legs and wobbled over to Bai Ye, blinking her beady eyes as she asked, "Ye Zai, is this okay?"
"Haha, that's great! Jiaojiao, you're so cute like this." Bai Ye chuckled and grabbed Jiaojiao, placing her on his shoulder. "From now on, this is your territory. Just relax here."
Long Jiao rubbed against her shoulder and found the most comfortable position to lie down.
Having received the message from his friend, Bai wasted no more time and turned back to the spirit boat.
"Sister Liu, we can set off now." Bai Ye called out, then sat down cross-legged and eagerly began to circulate the Formless Technique.
Her figure grew taller rapidly, and in an instant, the chubby little boy with a round head and face disappeared.
"Huh!" Liu Xianyue leaned closer to examine it with great interest. "This is the first time I've seen you use this shapeshifting technique. Little Tiger, your technique is quite exquisite. Even I can't see through it."
Bai raised his eyelids and asked with a smile, "What? You want to learn?"
"I don't want to!" Liu Xianyue answered decisively, giving Bai Ye no chance to boast.
"Don't ask me anything." Bai rolled her eyes, raised her hand and took away the plate of spiritual fruit in front of Liu Xianyue. She ate one herself and gave one to Jiaojiao.
Liu Xianyue narrowed her eyes and looked at the person and the tortoise who were munching on spirit fruit. "Little tiger, I think you're asking for a beating!"
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, stood up, and strode toward Bai Ye.
"Zhong Jiuli, someone's going to beat up your little tiger!" Bai Ye shamelessly shouted into the cabin.
There was a moment of silence in the cabin before Zhong Jiuli's voice slowly drifted over, "Don't make a scene."
"Liu Xianyue, you childish brat, stop making a scene." Bai Ye mimicked Zhong Jiuli's tone with a smug look on his face, and before she could get angry again, he dashed into the cabin.
"See if I don't teach you a lesson!" Liu Xianyue shouted and quickly chased after her inside.
A series of clanging and clattering sounds suddenly came from inside the cabin, interspersed with Bai Ye's exaggerated exclamations.
Zhong Jiuli watched helplessly as Bai Ye was bound hand and foot with ropes made of spiritual power by Liu Xianyue and hung in mid-air. This little guy, she had told him not to make a fuss, but he insisted on forcing Boss Liu to take action.
Bai was hanging upside down in mid-air, her face flushed red. She couldn't beat this woman; she was no match for her.
What's even more outrageous is that this woman also separated a wisp of spiritual energy to hang Jiaojiao in mid-air.
Faced with circumstances beyond his control, Bai decided to back down: "I was wrong, Sister Liu. I was just joking with you. Please put me down. I'm a pretty serious person and I don't really like playing... bondage games."
“Jiaojiao doesn’t like bondage games either!” Long Jiao blinked her little eyes and said. She felt very innocent. She had only eaten a spirit fruit and was implicated by Yezai.
Zhong Jiuli had intended to teach this little tiger a lesson, but upon hearing these words, she immediately frowned. What kind of lewd talk was this guy spouting now?
Liu Xianyue even spat out the tea she had just drunk with a "pfft." She wiped the tea stains from the corner of her lips and looked at Bai Ye with a strange expression, saying, "You little rascal, you know quite a lot?"
"Hehe, it's alright, I only know a little bit." Seeing that she was paying attention to him, Bai quickly changed the subject, "Sister Liu, where are we going now?"
Liu Xianyue pretended to be fierce and said, "Go to the Myriad Elephants Pavilion, chop off all your tiger skin, tiger bones, and tiger claws to refine medicine, and refine your little friends too!"
Bai remained completely calm. "I know Sister Liu would never do this to me. Should we go to the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion to take the teleportation array to Dongzhou?"
Lately, she has been spending all her time with Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue, and has learned many things she never knew before.
For example, within this desolate state, besides the ancient teleportation array connecting the eight states in Eternal City, the inter-state teleportation of Myriad Elephant Pavilion is the most convenient. As a large chain supermarket spanning nine states, each of its main branches has its own exclusive teleportation array, and its financial resources are simply unimaginable.
Therefore, going to the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion must be for the purpose of taking the teleportation array!
Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Liu Xianyue snorted and flicked her finger, causing the spiritual energy rope to instantly dissipate.
The moment Bai gained his freedom, he controlled his body and flipped in the air, catching Jiao Jiao and landing steadily together.
After being reprimanded, Bai dared not joke around with Liu Xianyue anymore. She obediently sat down next to Zhong Jiuli and watched the ever-changing sea of clouds outside the window with her.
The days aboard the spirit boat were long and tedious. During the day, I either meditated and regulated my breathing or stared blankly at the boundless sea of clouds.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Bai, as usual, went to Zhong Jiuli's side after finishing his cultivation and accompanied her to enjoy the scenery.
As soon as their gaze fell outside, they saw the outline of a magnificent city in the distance, faintly visible.
"The capital of Dali has arrived." Zhong Jiuli explained when she saw that she was staring at her intently.
"This is Li Shoumo's imperial city!" Bai Ye's voice was filled with excitement.
She ran to the deck and looked into the distance. Sure enough, the view was clearer once she was outside.
Where heaven and earth meet, a majestic city stands at the edge of the field of vision, its towering walls extending to both sides as if to embrace the entire world within it.
From above, the entire megacity is bisected by a canal a thousand feet wide. The houses on the west bank are uniformly decorated with blue tiles and white walls; though not as opulent as those in the imperial city center, each building is at least three or four stories high. The streets crisscross, and the bustling markets are faintly visible, a scene of prosperity and activity.
The scene on the east bank of the river astonished Bai Ye even more: nine towering pagodas were arranged in a nine-palace pattern, their bodies as clear as jade, with visible vortexes of spiritual energy swirling around them. These vortexes continuously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nourishing the entire imperial city.
At the center of the nine towering towers lies the vast imperial palace, stretching as far as the eye can see.
"Wow...this is too exaggerated..." Bai muttered to himself, "Is this a super megacity in the cultivation world?"
"Wow, that's way too exaggerated!" Jiaojiao repeated like a broken record.
Even from dozens of miles away, one could feel that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them had become much denser.
"No wonder the spiritual energy in the desolate mountains is so thin. It turns out that these mega-cities are all using cheat codes to gather spiritual energy!" Bai complained to Xiao Wang in his heart.
"Is this the Matthew effect in the cultivation world? The strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker?"
[Perhaps this is a last resort; concentrating resources on cultivating high-level cultivators is the only way to fight off external enemies and avoid being bullied by cultivators from other states?]
“I know, aren’t there many such examples in modern society?” Bai was very knowledgeable.
It's hard not to feel a little sentimental. In modern times, she's just an ordinary poor college student, living in a dilapidated old house with her mother and eating trendy takeout.
He transmigrated to another world and ended up experiencing the life of a protagonist. His friends were all chosen ones, and his wife was a super big shot. Everything seemed perfect.
But deep down, there will always be a lingering concern.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Zhong Jiuli's voice came from the side. "We're getting ready to disembark. Spirit boats can't enter the city; we have to go in through the city gate."
"Huh? Have we arrived?" Bai also came to his senses and found that the spirit boat was already hovering at the city gate.
At the city gate below, the queue to enter the city stretched like a long dragon, with cultivators dressed in the attire of various sects.
"Senior Zhong, I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you sooner," Li Shoumo's voice echoed from afar. She stepped out of the city, her toes lightly touching the air, and landed on the deck of the spirit boat.
Li Shoumo was still dressed in the same outfit, wearing a black dragon-patterned robe and a purple-gold crown. After greeting the group, she invited them, "Distinguished guests, how can we make you wait in line? Please follow me directly into the imperial city."
Zhong Jiuli replied with a smile, "No need for such formalities."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xianyue did not refuse. She controlled the spirit boat to take off and flew towards the city.
As the spirit boat gradually approached, spiritual light shone on the city's protective array, and as the array patterns flowed, a gap appeared that allowed the spirit boat to pass through.
The spirit boat entered the imperial city without any hindrance. This scene attracted the attention of the cultivators queuing to enter the city below. Everyone looked up to watch, but no one dared to jump out and make a fuss.
Everyone just saw the figure flying out of the palace. A distinguished guest who could be personally greeted by the Grand Princess must be no ordinary person.
This incident quickly passed, and the people in line continued queuing.
The people on the spirit boat had already entered the city. The scene inside the city was even more astonishing—oh, no, it astonished the ignorant Bai Ye and Jiao Jiao.
They kept peering around and exclaiming in surprise, which made the people chatting on the deck laugh.
"Wow, that floating octagonal tower is so cool! What's that building for?" Bai asked, pointing to a building suspended high above the city.
"Heh, you little guy have good taste," Liu Xianyue said with a light laugh.
As soon as she said that, Bai immediately realized that it must be the Myriad Elephants Pavilion.
"Oh, it's just so-so, nothing particularly cool."
Her sudden change of expression made everyone on deck laugh.
As the spirit ship drew closer, the outlines of the nine towering pagodas became increasingly clear, their majestic aura overwhelming. The pagodas were entirely made of jade, their surfaces shimmering with golden runes. They stood upright between heaven and earth, like swords drawn from their sheaths piercing the clouds.
"Li Shoumo, who built this tower?" Bai Ye looked up at the tower, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She didn't mean to condemn anything, but she was simply amazed by the ingenious construction and couldn't help but want to find out.
Upon hearing this, Li Shoumo showed a hint of helplessness, "Young Master Bai, your question is really difficult for me."
She gazed at the distant Tower of Babel, her eyes deep and thoughtful. “I have searched through the royal archives and all the ancient books in the capital, but I have never found a single word about these nine Towers of Babel. It’s as if they have been erased from all traces.”
"Then... does every major city have such a colossal tower to attract spirits?" Bai asked again.
"What are you thinking about?" Liu Xianyue couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you know what kind of material this tower is made of? The foundation alone is made of ten-thousand-year-old spirit-attracting jade, not to mention the rare materials used in the tower's body."
Li Shoumo smiled and replied, "You saw it just now. Most of the people queuing to enter the city are here for the Tower of Babel. In the entire Kunxu Continent, only the capital of Dali has these nine Towers of Babel. They are not only sacred places for cultivation, but also the foundation of our Dali nation."
Bai also asked a thought-provoking question, "Since the materials are so rare, wouldn't someone secretly steal the materials from the tower?"
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