Seeing Hu Jing's silence, he thought he had persuaded her and quickly pressed his advantage. 'This kind of inexperienced little girl,' he thought, 'once she comes with me, she'll be mine to command. I can play with her however I want.' An irrepressible heat rose within him at the thought.
"Junior Sister, rest assured. With me around, you'll have the protection of the Zhao Family. No matter where you go, you'll receive the best treatment. You've heard of our Zhao Family, I assume? One of the four great families of the Holy Hall. And don't worry about things on your end. I'll speak to her, and she'll understand!"
Zhao Guang stared at Hu Jing's moist, red lips, finding them more and more delectable the longer he looked.
"Are you finished?" Hu Jing asked.
Zhao Guang froze. "Junior Sister, if you have any other requests, just name them."
"In that case, I wish Senior Brother Zhao a safe journey. Goodbye."
Hu Jing nodded and walked past Zhao Guang without a backward glance, leaving him standing there in a daze.
'Damn it, that bitch was just messing with me!'
Zhao Guang shot a venomous glare at Hu Jing's back. 'These broke-ass paupers have nothing to their names but their goddamn worthless pride. She'll live to regret this.'
If it weren't for the matter with the Sword Tomb, Zhao Guang definitely would have stayed to deal with this little beauty at his leisure. But now that the Sword Tomb was gone, he had to ride this wave to transfer halls; otherwise, he'd be stuck.
'As long as I have power,' he thought, 'women will be a dime a dozen.'
Zhao Guang left without hesitation. For the sake of cultivation, anything could be sacrificed!
Meanwhile, Wang Meng was diligently tidying up his thatched hut. To take care of the Spirit Field, he would probably have to live here for a while. He couldn't just burrow into a haystack every night, after all.
After spending the better part of the day, a refined thatched hut was complete. It looked like an ordinary hut, but its very structure contained a certain aspect of the Dao. Those whose cultivation realms were not high enough simply couldn't comprehend it; at most, they would only find it somewhat special.
Just like the character for "Abandon" on the wall—it wasn't just about letting go; the character itself held a deeper secret. It was just that in the blurry, residual memories of Moo Shan, the name "Thunderbolt" had long since vanished.
For three straight days, Wang Meng diligently tilled the land. That worn-out hoe spent more time with him than his sword did.
Wang Meng was in no hurry. He would work for a while, then rest for a while. Sometimes he would stare blankly at the sky; other times he would hum a tune to himself. 'All this time, I've been cultivating with all my might, racking my brains, cultivating for the sake of cultivation. Looking back now, I realize I was ignoring life itself.'
The Hinayana Sword Technique, given Wang Meng's current realm, was completely without flourish. However, with his current Elemental Power, it was the only thing he could use. Improving his Life Mark was also a top priority.
During his breaks, Wang Meng was also selecting a Cultivation Technique. Over the past few days, he had gained a thorough understanding of his body. His natural talent was rather average, but every Cultivator has their own unique strengths. Wang Meng's persistence and unquenchable passion were his most precious assets. Otherwise, the Godhood would not have chosen him. Geniuses can fall, but this type of person will succeed sooner or later.
The Blast-Inducing Technique was a tyrannical Cultivation Technique used by Evil Cultivators. It accumulated Elemental Power to forcefully break through bottlenecks and improve one's Life Mark. The Life Mark would indeed improve, but a Life Mark cultivated this way would have numerous problems, such as a lack of potential at critical moments or unexpected mental lapses. However, the Saint Cultivator's Nourishing Essence Technique happened to be the perfect remedy for this, making them an excellent match. After solidifying his two Life Marks, Wang Meng had already begun to practice the Blast-Inducing Technique.
He took out the Wind Cloud Talisman, channeled a bit of Spiritual Power into it, and activated it. Thunder immediately rumbled in the clear sky, and dark clouds began to form as if it were about to rain. But in the end, it was as if the heavens had simply let out a yawn, and the clouds receded.
'That round-faced little girl's Talisman Making skills are really a bit lacking,' Wang Meng thought. 'The name sounds impressive, but this effect...'
Staring up at the scorching sun, Wang Meng knew he had to find a way to make it rain a little, or the Spirit Valley harvest wouldn't be good.
"Right and wrong, love and hate, all will one day fade to naught. In this life, one should seek to freely right their wrongs and repay their debts. There are some things you need not care about; many paths lie open before you."
The broken blade tapped against the hoe as Wang Meng entertained himself. But in the sky, the dark clouds began to gather once more. The Cinnabar on the Talisman shifted—just a few fine adjustments—and the Talisman's power instantly changed.
BOOM...
Thunder rumbled continuously. Thunderlight Peak was naturally prone to lightning, so using this kind of Wind Cloud Technique was actually quite easy here. Although the Talisman was a bit subpar, a slight modification had saved Wang Meng a great deal of effort. He really did have that little girl to thank.
DRIP.
A single drop of rain landed on Wang Meng. A moment later, a light rain began to fall with a pitter-patter. Standing in the rain, Wang Meng was perfectly at ease, watching the Spirit Field intently. Not far beneath the soil, the Spirit Valley seeds absorbed the rainwater and began to radiate a thick Vitality. It was the feeling of life about to burst forth from its shell.
This contained the most profound of mysteries—things the former Moo Shan had always ignored and never experienced. But the current Wang Meng could use his state of mind to discover the hidden mysteries of the Small Thousand World.
The birth of this life seemed to be telling him something. In the rain, Wang Meng was completely entranced. He spread his arms, dancing with wild abandon, his broken sword and hoe tapping against each other from time to time.
"Zhe, do you think he's gone crazy? How can someone be so happy just from farming?"
Zhao Lingxuan pouted. It was so bizarre. Why was this person so happy?
If the Holy Hall had ordered her to farm, she would have torn down an Elder's house in protest. On what grounds? She came here to cultivate, not to be a farmhand. This guy really had a good temper.
Beside her, the Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh flapped its wings, its body turning a fiery red in strong protest.
"Hee hee, sometimes I guess it looks kind of artistic. Oh well, let's not bother the farmer. Let's go back and get something good to eat."
「Meanwhile, in the Holy Hall.」
"I heard Old Lei destroyed all the swords in the Sword Tomb. Don't tell me he was finally driven mad by those good-for-nothing brats from Thunderlight Hall, haha."
The one who spoke was one of the six Ancestral Masters, Lawless Heaven Wu Fatian, who had never seen eye-to-eye with Thunderbolt.
"Brother Wu, don't provoke Senior Brother Lei. I just received news that several juniors from the younger generation of Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators have already broken through the Twenty Layers."
The woman who spoke was graceful and noble, with an unapproachable air. She was the Holy Hall's Ancestral Master of the Alchemy Dao, Zhou Luodan. Zhou Luodan's Alchemy skills were renowned throughout the Small Thousand World.
"Junior Sister Zhou, why would our Holy Hall care about such crooked paths? To say nothing of those two kids, Li Tianyi and Zhao Lingxuan, every hall has its own outstanding disciples. As for these heretics, if one comes, we'll kill one. If a pair comes, we'll kill a pair," Wu Fatian said with disdain.
"Ling Xuan is a talented and well-behaved child, but she is too kind. Tianyi is still far too arrogant. We cannot underestimate our opponents. Once they have finished their preparations, they will surely unleash a bloody storm upon the younger generation."
Zhou Luodan was deeply worried. Saint Cultivation Techniques were steady and profound, with immense latent power, but they were difficult to achieve breakthroughs with in the early stages. The techniques of Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators, on the other hand, were aggressive and powerful from the start. After the last great war, the conflict between the Three Sects had not ended; it had merely shifted to the younger generation. Within the Holy Hall, or even within its sphere of influence, this might not be keenly felt. But once you stepped outside, especially without the protection of an elder, it was a completely different world.