Chapter 48 : Golden Scale Fruit
The sect competition sounded exciting and looked fresh at first, but after watching for a while, it became rather mundane. This was especially true for the first elimination round, where a hundred people brawled on a single arena. No matter how exquisite the sword techniques or spells, no one could truly appreciate them. With such a dazzling spectacle, even those on the high platform would feel dizzy watching the light effects across the arena unless they were observing a specific target.
That flying golden lion ultimately provoked the crowd's anger. The Spirit Beast Garden disciple and his flying golden lion were collectively attacked by the mob and, after holding out for a short time, were blasted off the arena.
The little white tiger lay on her chair, watching with complete boredom, having lost her initial excitement.
About half an hour later, this elimination round finally approached its conclusion. The dozens of arenas that had been densely packed were now much emptier. Some arenas had only ten people remaining; the battles had ended, with those persisting to the end looking quite disheveled, some even collapsing from exhaustion. Other arenas were still completing their final eliminations, with everyone using all possible techniques and exerting their full strength.
The little white tiger's gaze swept across these arenas, and unsurprisingly, she didn't recognize anyone. A few faces looked familiar—either people from the Spirit Beast Garden or those who had attended Senior Sister's lecture a few days ago—but she had never met the rest.
A chaotic brawl among strangers naturally became boring after watching for too long. What made the tiger even more bored was that this elimination wasn't just one round; with seven to eight thousand participants in the competition, even with dozens of arenas, it would take over ten rounds. By the time they finished, the entire day would have been spent here, utterly wasting time.
Just as the little white tiger was yawning from boredom, System—which had been left behind at Mount Mingxia by Divine Lord Zhiming's teleportation—finally arrived belatedly. Seeing the assembly of powerful figures, it hesitated, and despite knowing that none of these people could see it, it couldn't help but become cautious.
Finally, System flew to its host's side, the light orb landing on the little white tiger's ear.
The little white tiger shook her ears but didn't pay much attention, only to hear System's tearful, aggrieved voice by her ear: "Host, host, I finally found you, wuwuwu. That big boss has no honor at all, teleporting without warning, not even saying where he was taking you. You both vanished in the blink of an eye, impossible to follow, forcing me to search everywhere..."
The drama queen System had become increasingly theatrical, muttering incessantly for a good quarter hour. The little white tiger listened intermittently; with Divine Lord Zhiming nearby, she couldn't respond, occasionally shaking her ears impatiently, but the incorporeal System clearly couldn't be shaken off.
Perhaps due to the little white tiger's excessive ear-twitching frequency, not only did Divine Lord Zhiming spare a glance at her, but even Peak Master Qingyu, who typically ignored her, couldn't help but look over. Under the gaze of these two powerful figures, the little white tiger casually raised her paw to scratch her ear, not daring to move further, appearing even more bored when she settled back down.
Jianbing's demeanor certainly didn't project authority, but everyone present knew she was still just a cub, so no one expected too much from her. Even Divine Lord Zhiming, who had earlier smacked the back of her head in warning, silently produced a plate of fruits and placed it before her.
Cubs need care, after all, though feeding fruit to a tiger was rather questionable.
Fortunately, System provided timely information: "Host, these are spirit fruits. Though I don't know what kind, they contain abundant spiritual energy. And this energy should be easily absorbed—you can eat them." Then, changing tone, it became serious: "Host, your rate of earning points and combat power has greatly increased, but the experience needed to level up is substantial. Since you don't need to suppress your level anymore, you can continue taking pills."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo wasn't in a hurry; after all, combat power was tangible, while levels were virtual.
If she maintained her early Foundation Establishment cultivation while increasing her combat power, defeating people with higher cultivation realms would demonstrate her prowess as Jianbing through level-skipping challenges. Conversely, if she leveled up first only to be thrashed by lower-level individuals later, wouldn't that be utterly embarrassing? Like when she was beaten so badly by the Wind Speed Wolf—just recalling it felt like a shameful memory.
Despite her plans, with a leveling opportunity right before her, the little white tiger naturally wouldn't pass it up. She approached the spirit fruits given by Divine Lord Zhiming and sniffed. Immediately, a refreshing fragrance filled her lungs, invigorating her spirit.
Good stuff, absolutely good stuff. A big shot who could offer Azure Essence Spirit Marrow as a meeting gift was clearly wealthy.
The little white tiger's eyes instantly brightened. She picked up a spirit fruit with both paws but didn't immediately eat it herself. Instead, she turned and offered it to Yun Qingyue standing to her side—this marked their first formal interaction in this setting. While the little white tiger had previously appeared languid, seemingly not drawing attention, this gesture immediately attracted nearly everyone's gaze.
Unfortunately, before Yun Qingyue could hesitate about whether to accept, the little white tiger's head was pressed down by a hand. Wide black sleeves waved before her eyes, unmistakably Divine Lord Zhiming's doing.
Is such a dignified divine lord really so petty?!
Just as the little white tiger inwardly complained, she heard Divine Lord Zhiming say beside her: "That's a Golden Scale Fruit, metal-attribute, not suitable for her." With a wave of his hand, a faint stream of light landed in Yun Qingyue's palm. Looking closely, everyone saw it was a crystal-clear Nine-Petal Ice Lotus. Though the fifth-grade spirit herb wasn't particularly precious, it was perfect for Yun Qingyue's advancement to Nascent Soul.
Having received the Thousand-Year Frost Crystal just yesterday, Yun Qingyue hadn't expected to gain a Nine-Petal Ice Lotus today. After a brief moment of surprise, she hastily bowed in thanks: "This disciple thanks Divine Lord for the treasure."
Divine Lord Zhiming waved dismissively: "No need; consider it payment for looking after Jianbing."
With these words, the gazes upon Yun Qingyue somewhat diminished—when she had carried Jianbing out to welcome the visitors that day, people from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect had naturally seen her, but they hadn't expected her to be so beloved by Jianbing. With Divine Lord Zhiming now bestowing treasures, this young rising star of Xuanqing Sect naturally drew lateral glances from members of both sects, many instantly harboring private thoughts.
However, regardless of their thoughts, now wasn't the time to mention them, so those subtle glances quickly withdrew. Additionally, Divine Lord Zhiming's words gave these people more to contemplate.
The little white tiger hadn't noticed that momentary subtle atmosphere; she was simply happy that Yun Qingyue had received an appropriate gift. The delighted little white tiger turned her head, calling "awoo" twice to Divine Lord Zhiming, genuinely appreciative: "Thank you, Divine Lord. When I grow up, I'll definitely repay you."
Divine beasts take three thousand years to mature, and by then, Divine Lord Zhiming, already at max level, might have ascended. But the little white tiger's words weren't merely perfunctory; they were a sincere promise. After all, she had the game system cheat, and though her current level was too low to catch Divine Lord Zhiming's eye, her leveling followed data metrics and could progress quickly.
Furthermore, beyond game leveling, her system also featured the System Mall. Though she was currently just a poor little tiger, once she saved enough money, theoretically, she could buy anything!
The little white tiger raised her head proudly, making her promise with complete seriousness. To Divine Lord Zhiming, this looked like a cub's naive promise.
Regardless of species, for the sake of survival, all young are protected and treated gently. Divine Lord Zhiming was no exception. Looking at the tiger cub making grand promises, his eyes revealed rare warmth and amusement: "We'll talk when you grow up." As he spoke, he stroked the little white tiger's head and continued: "When you grow up, just continue guarding Xuanqing Sect well for me."
Divine Lord Zhiming hadn't avoided others when speaking, so although most people couldn't understand what the little white tiger had said, they guessed about seventy to eighty percent. When they saw the little white tiger nod in agreement, it seemed perfectly natural.
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Unable to share delicacies with Senior Sister, but occasionally enjoying solo dining while watching the competition was still quite satisfying.
Throughout the entire day, disciples fought fiercely on the arenas, powerful figures on the high platform engaged in grand discussions, and only one little white tiger ate continuously with an open belly. Divine Lord Zhiming's wealth was truly substantial; seeing the little white tiger's love for Golden Scale Fruits, he produced plate after plate. By the end of the day, the tiger seriously wondered if he had a Golden Scale Fruit tree growing in his spatial talent space.
Finally, as the setting sun hung distantly, the sect competition's first elimination round, with nearly eight thousand participants, was completed—of course, not everyone had participated in this elimination round, such as the personal disciples of each peak, who were qualified to advance directly.
In other words, while the little white tiger had lazily munched on fruits all day, Yun Qingyue and the others had stood even more lazily for an entire day.
Only when an elder managing the arenas came forward to report that the first round of eliminations was complete did the little white tiger, whose belly had grown round from devouring spirit fruits, finally regain her spirit. She immediately abandoned the half-eaten Golden Scale Fruit and sat up straight.
Sect Leader Qingxiao seemed to glance over, or perhaps not. With a gentle smile, he said: "Since that's the case, let's conclude today's competition here. Injured disciples can take advantage of tonight to rest and heal." He then turned to the people from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect: "The various elders have been sitting here all day and must be tired. Why not return with me to Mount Tianyang to rest?"
The latter sentence was superfluous, as people from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect had always been accommodated on Mount Tianyang. During the sect competition, any disciple participating was entitled to stay on Mount Tianyang for healing and rest.
The elders from the two sects had no objections. After exchanging courtesies, they departed with Sect Leader Qingxiao.
Yun Qingyue, along with her junior brothers and sisters, followed behind Peak Master Qingyu, also heading toward Mount Tianyang. Seeing this, the little white tiger instinctively moved to follow but was again blocked by Divine Lord Zhiming's raised hand.
This time, Divine Lord Zhiming didn't make trouble or waste words. He directly produced a box of Golden Scale Fruits and said to the little white tiger: "Since you enjoy eating these, take them all. They make fine snacks."
The little white tiger was dumbfounded, eventually squeezing out: "Is this... fruit?"
So many—it feels cheap now.
But in reality, these were far from cheap. Fourth-grade Golden Scale Fruits were absolutely rare treasures for low-level cultivators with metal spiritual roots. However, with Divine Lord Zhiming's high realm and perspective, this box of Golden Scale Fruits came from a Golden Scale Fruit tree he had acquired long ago. Over thousands of years, he had accumulated this boxful, which had merely gathered dust in his spatial talent space.
Unaware of their value, the little white tiger couldn't help but inwardly grumble despite her surprise. System, however, recognized the value. Detecting its host's complaint, it immediately urged: "Host, accept them, accept them! These are truly treasures. If you don't believe me, check your panel later."
Since System insisted, and Divine Lord Zhiming apparently didn't value them highly, the little white tiger thanked him and accepted. Then, turning to see Senior Sister still waiting in the distance, she had no time for further words with Divine Lord Zhiming. With another quick "Thank you," she hurriedly ran toward Yun Qingyue, leaping directly into her arms upon reaching her.
Yun Qingyue seemed quite accustomed to this, opening her arms to embrace the little white tiger fully. Then, instinctively, she felt the little tiger's soft belly—indeed, it was round, evidence that a day of Golden Scale Fruits hadn't been eaten in vain.
The little white tiger noticed Yun Qingyue's action and immediately raised her paw to push away her hand, seriously calling "awoo" several times.
Yun Qingyue couldn't understand what she said, but Divine Lord Zhiming, who hadn't yet left, clearly understood and unusually couldn't hold back his laughter. The little white tiger had seriously said: "Enough, Senior Sister, don't do that. I'm not such a casual tiger."—almost the same as what she had told him that morning, though this time the little one was clearly attempting to cover up, which was quite amusing.
Divine Lord Zhiming's laughter wasn't concealed, but fortunately, most people had already left the high platform, with only Yun Qingyue and the little white tiger hearing. Yun Qingyue was completely bewildered, while the little white tiger turned back to bare her teeth at him in embarrassment.
Cubs still need protection, both physically and psychologically, so Divine Lord Zhiming said nothing, departing with his amusement undiminished.
Yun Qingyue naturally couldn't investigate why Divine Lord Zhiming had laughed and let the matter drop as he left. Having informed her master, she had specifically stayed behind to wait for the little white tiger. Now that she had retrieved the tiger, she naturally went to catch up with Qingyu's group.
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Mount Tianyang had many guest rooms, largely to accommodate disciples from all peaks during the sect competition. However, even with hundreds of guest rooms, they seemed insufficient for the thousands of disciples moving in, necessitating shared accommodations for many.
This didn't much concern Yun Qingyue. As Mount Mingxia's senior disciple, she naturally received a private room. Moreover, she wasn't staying alone on Mount Tianyang but had Jianbing with her, so her assigned guest room was not only spacious but fully equipped. Except for lacking the spirit spring found in Yun Qingyue's own room, this place lacked nothing.
After the Mount Tianyang disciples allocated the rooms and left, Peak Master Qingyu naturally wouldn't stay with her disciples, nor would she, given her temperament, counsel them extensively like other masters.
She simply stated: "I won't go to Small Spirit Peak tomorrow. Go watch the arenas yourselves, and don't lose face in the coming days."
With that, she turned and left. After she had gone far, the disciples looked at each other awkwardly until Zhong Heng, being the boldest, muttered: "For the sect competition, Master only shows her face today. Don't tell me she's off to cultivate again?"
His comment was just a complaint, but when the other junior brothers and sisters heard it, they collectively tensed—Peak Master Qingyu disliked taking disciples; apart from Yun Qingyue, whom she had personally found, the rest were mostly accepted on Sect Leader Qingxiao's behalf. Even second disciple Zhong Heng had rarely received instruction from their master, let alone the others. Their only impression of their master was as a cultivation fanatic. Whether due to the weak's admiration for the strong or the natural influence of the master-disciple relationship, all the disciples unconsciously learned from her and paid great attention to her words and actions.
Third junior brother Song You looked around and said: "It's getting late; I'm going back to cultivate." Then he turned and fled, hurrying as if he could advance his cultivation in just an hour or two.
However, he wasn't the exception. Upon hearing this, the others quickly dispersed, each returning to cultivate.
Zhong Heng was also a cultivation fanatic, but he only chased Yun Qingyue as his goal. Thus, whenever he saw these junior brothers and sisters, he couldn't help but marvel. In the blink of an eye, apart from him, only Senior Sister holding the little white tiger remained.
Yun Qingyue didn't linger either. After nodding to Zhong Heng, she turned and carried the little white tiger back to her guest room.
Zhong Heng stood there somewhat bewildered. After a moment, not knowing what else to do, he also returned to his room to cultivate—see, the atmosphere at their Mount Mingxia was just like this, with disciples being single-minded cultivation fanatics without distractions. Power struggles, romantic rivalries—such things could never happen on Mount Mingxia. Even laziness was impossible.
This was the little white tiger's first time witnessing such a scene, and she found it somewhat indescribable, completely different from the cultivation worlds she had read about. However, it was a good thing that fellow disciples were pure cultivation fanatics, certainly better than scheming against each other.
Just as she finished this thought, Yun Qingyue carried her into the room, where a quick glance revealed only one bed in the guest room.
Well, that's a pleasant surprise—would she get to sleep in the same bed as Senior Sister tonight?!
The little white tiger's tiger eyes brightened, and she leaped from Senior Sister's arms directly onto the bed. Landing lightly, she walked around a couple of times, feeling the softness beneath her paws—sleeping here should be quite comfortable.
Seeing the little white tiger's behavior, warmth filled Yun Qingyue's crystalline eyes. She wasn't concerned about the bed, since sleep wasn't necessary for cultivators. She walked to a meditation cushion in the guest room and sat down, watching the little white tiger for a while before asking: "Was watching the competition today very boring?"
Hearing this, the little white tiger stopped her bed-testing and flopped down, inevitably calling "awoo" a few times in complaint: "It was so boring! I don't know those people, and that chaotic fighting was so confusing—I couldn't see clearly. What's the point?"
Yun Qingyue couldn't understand tiger language but could tell the little white tiger was grumbling. Her gaze fell on the tiger's tail curled beside her, suddenly remembering how she had deliberately swept her hand with it at noon. Her fingertips twitched, and she somewhat wanted to pet the tiger again, but Jianbing's tail... she decided against it. Having missed the opportunity, it wasn't appropriate to try again.
Though inwardly somewhat regretful, she maintained an impassive expression, saying: "If you find it boring, there's no need to go tomorrow." She then explained: "Today marked the competition's start, so the Sect Leader and Peak Masters all attended, but many might not come tomorrow—it's fine if you don't go. Besides, having eaten so many Golden Scale Fruits today, you should take time to digest and absorb them."
The little white tiger was momentarily confused by these words, instinctively touching her belly but feeling nothing amiss. Then, in front of Senior Sister, she surreptitiously opened her character panel, visible only to her—
[Host: Jiang Mo
Race: White Tiger
Profession: Divine Beast
Level: 26
Combat Power: 167,774,219 (1,979)
Experience: 48,937,622/167,772,160
Points: 1,512
Potential: ∞
Skills: Meditation, Basic Spiritual Energy Utilization (Blood Inheritance Not Activated)]
Looking at the character panel that had surged by 5 levels since morning, Jiang Mo felt utterly dazed. Over a hundred million experience points, just from eating fruits for a day?
The last time she had leveled up so smoothly was before level 10, when even taking those little candy pills hadn't felt this satisfying!
After holding back for a long time, Jiang Mo finally muttered: "Such data inflation..."
The little white tiger's level had instantly risen by 5 levels—from a cultivator's perspective, this meant jumping from early Foundation Establishment to mid Foundation Establishment. Besides her, probably no one would consider this increase substantial. After all, she had eaten over a dozen or twenty Golden Scale Fruits. If an ordinary cultivator could obtain just one, it would be enough for such a breakthrough, or perhaps even advance directly from mid Foundation Establishment to late Foundation Establishment for those with good aptitude.
The advantage over ordinary cultivators was that she didn't need to spend time digesting and absorbing. These usable treasures didn't cause her digestive issues even when consumed in large amounts; the spirit fruits were converted into data by the game system as soon as they entered her mouth.
But was the little white tiger happy to see these level increases?
Not at all!
Her combat power hadn't caught up to her level before, and she had planned to continue suppressing her level. Now, catching up to the basic combat power requirement had become even more distant. The basic combat power for level 26 was 3,510, while her current combat power was less than 2,000—instantly feeling like she'd returned to square one... A few spirit fruits had increased her debt, tightening the previously relaxed tension.
Points, points, she needed to grind for points! She couldn't continue like this—she had received an entire box of Golden Scale Fruits!
System, apparently feeling the host's pressure wasn't enough, pointed to a buff on the panel: "Look, host, this is a buff from eating Golden Scale Fruits that continuously adds experience. Tomorrow, the day after, the day after that... for seven consecutive days, you'll receive this much experience gain each day. Happy? Surprised? After the Golden Scale Fruits are fully 'digested,' your physique will improve, reflecting in increased combat power. Isn't that a good deal?"
Golden Scale Fruits were indeed treasures, but with two debuffs dragging her down, Jiang Mo couldn't feel happy, always sensing that combat power from external forces would never catch up to leveling. But it was better than nothing.
The little white tiger sighed heavily. Yun Qingyue, who had been observing her for some time, finally came forward to rub her head: "What's wrong? Why the sudden dejection?"
The little white tiger said nothing, lunging forward to hug Senior Sister's leg.