The Qingyun Sect's training ground is paved with bluestone, and the weeds along the edges are neatly trimmed by spiritual energy.
Xiao Chen held an ordinary magic weapon, a black spear, standing opposite the stone.
After several days of rest, he had completely digested his insights from Hidden Dao Mountain, and his mid-stage Refinement Void realm had become increasingly stable. At this moment, looking at his smiling fourth junior brother, a hint of fighting spirit flickered in his eyes.
Xiao Chen had experienced several minor battles on his way back to the Southern Region, and his cultivation level naturally broke through to the mid-stage.
"Fourth Junior Brother, be careful." Before Xiao Chen finished speaking, he had already moved, the tip of his spear carrying a sharp spear intent, piercing straight into Shi Tou's chest—he wanted to test just how strong the physical body of this junior brother who was born from the black stone was.
Stone chuckled, neither dodging nor avoiding, and directly raised his hand to grab the tip of the spear.
He has now achieved mastery of the first level of body refinement, and his physical body is as hard as diamond. Ordinary magic weapons can hardly damage him in the slightest, let alone this ordinary magic weapon gun.
"clang!"
The spear tip struck the stone palm, producing a metallic clang and sparks flying. Xiao Chen felt a tremendous force emanating from the spear, causing his wrist to go numb slightly. The spear tip was firmly gripped in the opponent's hand, remaining completely still.
"Senior Brother, your gun... is a bit soft." Stone said in a simple and honest manner, and with a little force in his palm, he actually bent and deformed the magic weapon gun.
Xiao Chen was secretly shocked. Although this spear was just a magic weapon, it could withstand the full force of a Mahayana cultivator's attack, yet it was bent by Shi Tou's bare hands?
He dared not be negligent, and urged his spear intent on again. The spear twisted like a serpent, breaking free from the stone's grasp, and the spear tip swept horizontally, attacking his waist.
Stone didn't dodge; he simply twisted his body and took the shot head-on with his side waist.
"puff!"
The spear tip pierced the stone's waist, leaving only a shallow white mark, without even breaking the skin.
"This..." Xiao Chen's pupils shrank slightly. Just as he was about to attack again, he suddenly realized something was wrong—the air around the stone began to distort, and a faint black aura seeped out from under his skin. The black aura was cold and fierce, carrying a savage aura that made people's hearts tremble. It was demonic energy!
As the sparring intensified, the honest look in Stone's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of crimson. His breathing became heavy, and the demonic energy around him grew increasingly dense, almost solidifying into a tangible form.
"roar!"
With a sudden low roar, Shi Tou stopped passively taking the beating and instead pounced on Xiao Chen, swinging his fists with earth-shattering force. Before the wind from his fists even arrived, the bluestone of the training ground was already cracked!
Xiao Chen's heart tightened, and he dared not hold back any longer. He took the rusty iron spear (he had switched back to his own treasured spear) into his hand, and the spear intent soared into the sky, colliding with the fist wind from the stone!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunshots and fists clashed, demonic energy and spear intent collided, and the training ground was instantly shrouded in dust.
Xiao Chen grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. The power of the stone seemed inexhaustible, and with the enhancement of demonic energy, his physical strength was faintly approaching the peak of the Mahayana stage. Although his spear intent was exquisite, he could hardly truly harm his opponent. Instead, he was forced to retreat repeatedly by the opponent's fierce attacks.
What worried him even more was that the crimson in the stone's eyes was getting deeper and deeper, clearly indicating that it was about to lose its mind and be completely devoured by the demonic energy!
"Fourth Junior Brother! Wake up!" Xiao Chen shouted sharply, trying to wake him up.
But Stone just roared, its attack becoming even more ferocious. It punched Xiao Chen in the face, the demonic energy on its fist almost condensing into a hideous ghost claw!
Just at this critical moment, a verdant figure darted out from the corner of the yard like lightning—it was a branch of the old locust tree!
The branches, like flexible arms, carried a faint wood-attribute spiritual energy, precisely positioned between Xiao Chen and the stone.
"Smack!"
The stone's fist slammed into the branch, but the seemingly soft branch remained unmoved, instead emanating a gentle yet irresistible force that sent the stone staggering backward. At the same time, a drop of dew seeped from the branch and fell onto the stone. The dew, upon touching the demonic energy, emitted a hissing sound, gradually dispelling the black energy.
Shi Tou shuddered, his crimson eyes gradually fading as he looked around at the chaotic training ground in a daze, then at Xiao Chen, whose face was solemn, and scratched his head.
He asked innocently, "Senior Brother... what's wrong? I think I just had a dream where I was beating up a really big bear."
Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head: "It's nothing, just a friendly spar." He looked at the old locust tree, his eyes full of gratitude—if the old locust tree hadn't intervened in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The old locust tree's branches swayed gently, as if in response, then slowly retracted, continuing to quietly stretch its branches and leaves in the corner of the yard.
"Gurgle..."
Shi Tou's stomach suddenly growled. He rubbed his stomach and looked at Xiao Chen: "Senior Brother, are you hungry? Want to eat?"
"Come on, let's go to the kitchen." Xiao Chen smiled. "I'll teach you how to cook, so that when Master isn't around, you can make something to eat on your own."
"Great!" Stone's eyes lit up. He had always thought that his master's cooking was the best in the world. If he could learn to cook it, he could eat it every day.
Half an hour later, thick black smoke billowed from the kitchen of the Qingyun Sect, along with a burnt smell.
"Cough cough... Senior Brother, the fire... the fire is too big!" Shi Tou coughed from the smoke, his spatula still flailing wildly in his hand, the spirit rice in the pot had turned into black charcoal.
Xiao Chen looked at the messy kitchen with a black line on his forehead—the oil can on the stove was overturned, the spirit fruit was chopped into a paste, and even the water in the water tank had been spilled by Shi Tou.
He finally understood why even his lazy master had to cook for him personally.
This fourth junior brother is as clumsy as a rock when it comes to cooking. Not only is he uncoordinated, but he also lacks any common sense. He's practically a kitchen killer.
"Alright, alright, go sit over there and play for a while, I'll take care of it." Xiao Chen reluctantly pushed Shi Tou out of the kitchen, tied on an apron, and skillfully processed the ingredients.
Stone squatted at the kitchen doorway, watching his senior brother methodically wash rice, chop vegetables, and cook, his eyes filled with admiration. He muttered to himself, "Senior brother is so amazing, much better than me..."
Before long, the aroma of the food dispelled the burnt smell. The spirit rice was steamed until each grain was plump, the stir-fried spirit bamboo shoots with meat were emerald green and tempting, and the vermilion fruit soup shimmered with a reddish glow, filling the table to the brim.
With his mouth full of oil, Shi Tou mumbled, "What Senior Brother made... tastes just as good as what Master made!"
Xiao Chen chuckled: "Don't let Master hear this, or he'll punish you by making you chop wood in the back mountain."
After dinner, the moonlight bathed the Qingyun Sect.
Xiao Chen sat under the old locust tree, gazing towards the northern region, his eyes gradually sharpening. Having endured the trials of Hidden Dao Mountain and witnessed the strength of the stone, he knew his power was sufficient—it was time to go to the Profound Heaven Sect and settle that grudge.
"Fourth Junior Brother," Xiao Chen turned to look at Shi Tou, who was fiddling with the black iron armor, "would you like to go for a walk with me?"
"Go? Where to?" Stone looked up.
"Go to the Northern Region and beat up a few fools." Xiao Chen's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.
Without hesitation, Shi Tou replied, "Go! Wherever Senior Brother goes, I'll go!" Beating people up was his specialty.
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