Chapter 86: Cooperation to Revitalize the Cultivation World (86% complete)
Su Xiaoyao tapped the table rhythmically with her knuckles, summarizing Su Qinghuan's words.
"So, you saw two enormous pearls after you infiltrated the Poison Cap Octopus's lair?"
"It's an inner core that looks like a pearl. Are you even listening?" Su Qinghuan became agitated, emphasizing each word. "Two inner cores were placed together, their spiritual energy dissipating. One of them carried the aura of that octopus, and I can't quite describe the other one. I only glanced at it, but I had the illusion that my soul was being sucked away. It's definitely not simple."
Su Xiaoyao glanced at him sideways and tapped the thick stack of IOUs on the table.
Su Qinghuan felt a lump in her throat and it took her a long time to catch her breath.
"When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head." He tried to soften his tone and then gave his speculation: "That octopus is our group's mission target, and the inner core should belong to your group. It seems we'll have to cooperate to enter its lair."
"You solved the mystery so quickly?" Su Xiaoyao exclaimed in surprise.
Su Qinghuan covered her wound and sneered: "Didn't you deliberately remind me? You lured me here to probe first so you could reap the benefits. Unfortunately, you also have your miscalculations. I didn't expect that octopus to be more troublesome than I imagined."
Su Xiaoyao's face clearly showed her doubt: "When did I remind you?"
Su Qingqian continued to sneer: "Heh, you're just pretending."
Su Xiaoyao's eyes darted around, guessing that there must be some misunderstanding. However, this was a good opportunity to play along, so she simply admitted it: "You knew I was setting a trap, but you still couldn't wait to jump in. That fits my stereotype of body cultivators."
Su Qinghuan's face flushed red instantly, and she abandoned her aloof demeanor, shouting at her to argue.
While they were arguing, Su Xiaoyao silently shouted "996," and soon "996" found the only interaction the two had recently had.
A plate of mushrooms?
Su Xiaoyao was speechless. What a coincidence that the final mission items for both teams were still together.
A flash of inspiration struck her, and she suddenly thought of something, but for a moment she couldn't grasp the fleeting thought.
The objectives of the special mission and the advanced mission are placed together, both ultimately requiring the defeat of the octopus, with the former only having the additional requirement of "retrieving the item".
Are top-tier missions really that easy?
She always felt there was a hole somewhere.
For a moment she couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong, but according to Shui Fan, the only overlord in this sea area was the poisonous umbrella octopus, and their mission must be related to it. The inner core that Su Qinghuan saw was the only special thing, and after thinking it over, the mission target could only be this thing.
We'll just have to take it one step at a time for now.
So she put on a smile, patted Su Qinghuan's injured shoulder affectionately, and started discussing cooperation matters under her angry glare.
"We need someone to provide cover and distract the octopus so we can obtain the mission items and use the inner core to subdue the octopus. In such a critical moment, it is up to you body cultivators to step in."
"Aren't we talking about stereotypes now?" Su Qinghuan rolled her eyes.
“Strong physique and excellent combat skills, everyone knows that, right?” Su Xiaoyao winked at Shen Suxi.
Shen Suqi cooperated seamlessly with her, embracing her and smiling as she stepped forward to say kind words.
Su Qingqian remained unmoved, like a mountain.
They exchanged a glance, realizing that empty promises wouldn't work; they needed to actually invest money. Only then did they slowly begin discussing profit sharing.
After listening for a while, Su Qinghuan got tired of listening and pointed at the two of them, saying, "You two, one a talisman cultivator and the other a weapon cultivator, are known as the three richest majors in the entire academy, along with medicine cultivator. Is this all the sincerity you've shown to fool people?"
Su Xiaoyao opened her eyes. She always set prices according to the person she was dealing with, and she had no intention of spending any money on the body cultivators, who were considered the poorest in the entire academy, along with the sword cultivators.
"I'll reimburse you for the bills you owe," said Helian Yi, who had been watching from the sidelines with his hands in his pockets.
"Deal." Su Qinghuan made the decision decisively, glancing disdainfully at the other two out of the corner of her eye, condemning their stinginess.
"It's too expensive, not worth it," Su Xiaoyao muttered to herself.
Su Qingqian yanked the chain, making a loud clanging sound: "What did you say?!"
The group set off amidst much chatter. Shen Suqi quickly replenished her elixirs, and the group soon adjusted their condition, planning to launch a surprise attack on the poisonous octopus before it could react.
Despite his dissatisfaction, Su Qinghuan still diligently recounted all the details of his previous experience once he arrived at the destination, striving to increase the success rate of the mission for both teams.
"There are still many monsters near its lair. Although they are not that strong, they are very troublesome. There are many caves below, so we need someone who is good at underwater combat to go there."
Su Xiaoyao was very perceptive: "As expected, it was the Diti Xiu who came to the rescue. You guys often go to all sorts of strange and unusual places to train and temper your bodies, so you are familiar with the underwater world. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have found its lair."
"Don't try to sweet-talk me, just sign the contract first." Su Qinghuan glanced at her coldly and tossed her a piece of paper. "The other inner core is yours, and the octopus and its inner core are mine. Just in case the academy wants a complete living creature, you promise not to kill the octopus, and you have to stop anyone who tries to take the octopus."
His gaze swept over the others, insisting that she make a commitment.
Su Xiaoyao knew about this; it was a contract produced by the system, and violators would have their tribulation lightning doubled during their tribulation.
She glanced at it and noticed that it was slightly different from traditional contracts.
Why is it that when it comes to me, the lightning tribulation is ten times stronger?
Su Qinghuan smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll have to withstand the lightning tribulation for my sake."
"For you? You have quite the nerve." Su Xiaoyao said incredulously, "Besides, am I such an untrustworthy person?"
Su Qingzhen continued to smile.
In the end, Su Xiaoyao compromised and pressed the palm print.
She scoffed, "You really think highly of me."
Su Qinghuan blew on the contract, and the contract mark lit up, then dissipated into the air after a while: "You are the best at weighing the pros and cons. As long as there is enough benefit, you will do anything. Just to withstand double the lightning tribulation, you might as well set up a row of spiritual artifacts for tempering."
Moreover, she truly possessed the strength and courage to withstand the tribulation lightning. He never underestimated the opponents he had chosen. Although she was always joking and playing the turtle shell defense on the field, appearing to be the most harmless, in reality, throughout the entire academy, neither the exceptionally talented Helian Yi nor the fortunate Xiao Tingyuan possessed her temperament.
Moreover, this person doesn't follow the rules and disregards regulations, so you have to be extremely careful when dealing with her.
Su Xiaoyao was filled with resentment. Sure enough, the person who understands you best is your opponent. All the paths she had planned were blocked.
She reluctantly rummaged through the storage space, each person carrying a set of diving equipment.
"What kind of clothes are these? They're so heavy!" Shui Fan was caught off guard by the weight of the wetsuit and stumbled.
"My specially made diving suit." Su Xiaoyao stuffed herself into it and threw out some refining products. "It's poison-proof, waterproof, and durable. I'm contributing to this team mission by giving you a free trial. If you find it useful, you can buy it from me at a friendly internal price of 4399 spirit stones."
Shui Fan fiddled with the mask engraved with runes, exclaiming in surprise, "It can breathe? And it allows people to walk freely underwater?"
“Don’t you even know who wrote the runes?” Shen Suqi said smugly. “It was Xiao Yao who gave us the inspiration. This way, even though we’re at the bottom of the sea, it’s like walking on flat ground.”
Xiao Tingyuan suddenly remembered something: "Before you left, Dai Kui casually mentioned that you rented a piece of land in the herb field and did nothing but draw a talisman that looked like a teleportation array. So that's what you used it for."
"I won't wear it. My advantage lies in my physical form and speed. Wearing it would only hinder me. Its toxins won't affect me much. I'll take a bottle of Clear Vision Pills beforehand to ensure I can see clearly underwater." Shui Fan held the porcelain bottle, preparing to take the pills just before going into the water to avoid wasting their effects.
Besides him, there was another person who didn't make a move.
Helian Yi frowned at the heavy diving suit, and after a long while, he managed to utter, "So ugly."
After the previous battle, he discarded the gorgeous robe with a small hole corroded in the hem and put on a black brocade robe embroidered with gold patterns. His original jade hairpin was replaced with a black and gold crown.
Su Xiaoyao was speechless: "We're about to dive into the deep sea to fight monsters, can you please not wear such gaudy clothes? People who don't know better will think you're here to check on an octopus."
Helian Yi: "Ten times the price, for a custom-made set."
"Okay, feel free to ask if you need anything." She immediately changed her attitude.
However, there was no time to dig out the furnace now, so Helian Yi had to compromise his aesthetic sense and put on the same bulky and simple diving suit.
A major battle is imminent.
The poison umbrella octopus had only recently returned to its lair to recuperate when its tranquility was disrupted by the rampaging spiritual forces of various elements.
Unable to bear the disturbance any longer, the tentacles clinging to the two inner cores slid around twice before reluctantly letting go.
The inner core it obtained by chance brought it great benefits and was expected to help it break through the talent barrier mentioned in its inherited memories. However, risks and rewards go hand in hand. While its strength increased by leaps and bounds, it became increasingly unable to control its temper.
In the past, it only knew how to cultivate and would patrol the territory it guarded when it had nothing to do. But recently it has become increasingly irritable and has been able to tease passing ships several times.
Unexpectedly, their troublemaking was discovered by human cultivators after only a few days, and so many people came to punish them.
The little octopus vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but an inexplicable irritability took over its emotions.
Humans are provoking it again!
In the deep sea nest, the octopus's enormous body stirred restlessly, its thick tentacles twisting and writhing like pythons, its blades imbued with spiritual energy.
A huge splash of water, accompanied by a hissing sound, suddenly revealed a deep, dark, giant well beneath the azure sea.
"They're here." Su Xiaoyao stopped channeling her spiritual energy, swallowed a Spirit Enhancement Pill, and quietly circled around to the back of the boat.
She knew very well that the black thing was a vortex of spiritual energy created by the monster.
"Don't forget our agreement." Su Qinghuan stared at the "Abyss," reminding him again.
“She’s started moving, can’t hear her,” Jiang Yun replied, who had the best view.
Su Qingqian glanced at his summoning banner, felt slightly relieved, and then raised it again a moment later.
He wasn't worried about Jiang Yun betraying him, but rather about Su Xiaoyao breaking her promise. However, cooperation was inevitable, and he had already done his best to limit Su Xiaoyao's crooked thoughts.
“It’s time,” Jiang Yun said.
Su Qinghuan nodded and led the body cultivators into the water.
The octopus was already annoyed, but it became even angrier when it saw humans intruding into its home again. It waved its tentacles incessantly, spreading its deadly poison.
Having learned from their previous battle experience, the body cultivators didn't rush in headfirst. Instead, they targeted the previously discovered weak points on the octopus-like creature's body. Although these attacks didn't have much of an impact on the octopus monster's defenses, they successfully provoked it.
withdraw!
They retreated quickly, with Helian Yi and Xiao Tingyuan providing timely support from behind.
As the octopus revealed its true form in a fit of rage, its attacks became even more ferocious, turning the surrounding seawater crimson. Gradually, some people were seriously injured and pulled away by Xiao Tingyuan.
Helian Yi and Su Qinghuan retreated to a secluded spot to discuss the next round of cooperation plans via telepathy when suddenly a third voice interrupted.
Jiang Yun said, "Attack the place where Xiao Tingyuan just passed by."
Without hesitation, the two attacked simultaneously.
The octopus swiftly dodged away.
"Those are its eyes."
Jiang Yun observed for a long time and came to a conclusion, then unexpectedly threw down a lightning ball.
efficient!
The piercing cry almost stabbed into the brain, and the octopus's movements were noticeably sluggish for a moment, followed by a fierce counterattack.
"It won't last much longer! When will Su Xiaoyao get better?! She's gone, but she's left the mess behind!" Su Qingqian was exasperated.
“The weakness has been found. Continue to restrain it, or do you want to admit that all of us combined are not as good as Su Xiaoyao’s pot?” Helian Yi said coldly.
Su Qinghuan stopped talking, then, as if holding his breath, swung the iron chain.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoyao's three-person team successfully entered the octopus's lair after shaking off its minions.
"It's almost time, we need to hurry." Shen Suqi received the signal from Jiang Yun and pointed to the screen.
Su Xiaoyao indicated that she understood and immediately summoned the potion pot.
Once the inner core is taken, the octopus will definitely return immediately, at which point we'll have to rely on the potion pot to buy time.
Shui Fan identified the true entrance to the cave and waved for them to follow.
After entering the cave, the pitch-black seabed gradually brightened, and the radiance of the inner core became impossible to conceal.
"That's it, our mission objective!" With a sudden realization, Su Xiaoyao spotted the inner core emanating a strange aura. "Let's go, let's take both!"
She and Shen Suqi quickly stepped forward, each taking one.
Shui Fan completed his task. The bloodstains remaining on his claws were dissolved by the seawater. He stood still, watching their movements from afar.
For some reason, he felt that this aura was somewhat familiar, but he was certain he had never seen such a powerful spirit beast's inner core before. So where could it be? Could it be inherited memories?
He stared at the unknown inner core, then suddenly his eyes widened.
That's it! He remembered! He'd seen it in his inherited memories! This is...
"boom!"
A huge wave suddenly surged underwater, and they were discovered.
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