CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 154: YOU ACTUALLY DARE TO TRICK ME! _2

Just then, the prompt panel popped up.

"A replica with the same origin, huh?"

Wen Zhixing’s heart stirred instantly.

That’s right.

What he had obtained was the fortune of others.

Then those two things should be exactly alike.

Whether inanimate or alive.

In other words, is my white tiger genius spirit the same as Murong Fenghua’s Genius Spirit?

Or should I say, a clone.

In any case, there’s no difference between the two.

"AWOO!"

Ahead, the white tiger genius spirit dug frantically at the ground with its paws, unearthing one crystal stone after another. These crystal stones were all that remained from the broken array methods. At this moment, all were swallowed. Around the white tiger genius spirit, a mystical white halo began to appear.

"Never mind, I’ll keep it for now; it might be useful."

After giving it some thought, Wen Zhixing decided not to absorb it.

He actually didn’t care whether the white tiger genius spirit was alive or not.

But he always felt that the white tiger genius spirit would be useful later.

At that moment, as if the white tiger genius spirit had eaten its fill, its eyes narrowed slightly, looking a bit sleepy. Then it leaped straight towards Wen Zhixing, aiming for the spot between his eyebrows.

Wen Zhixing saw it coming and didn’t dodge.

With a flash of light, the white tiger genius spirit directly entered Wen Zhixing’s Sea of Sense.

BOOM!

Inside the Sea of Sense, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Thunder fell furiously. The tree formed by the Nine Heavens Thunder Seed also grew a bit taller.

"AWOO!"

The white tiger genius spirit, upon seeing everything before it, suddenly opened its previously hazy eyes wide.

As if extremely surprised.

This...

The next moment, its eyes lit up again, and it pounced like an adorable tiger, leaping to the top of the tree formed by the Nine Heavens Thunder Seed.

"AWOO~"

The white tiger genius spirit let out a contented sound and began to roll around on the branches. The surrounding thunder power started to be absorbed by the mystical halo.

"AWO~"

The white tiger genius spirit was thoroughly pleased. With a roll, its eyes narrowed, and it slowly drifted off to sleep. The quality of this sleep was simply unbeatable.

"You certainly know how to pick a spot," Wen Zhixing remarked with a smile, then paid it no more mind.

Right, now that I have the Earth Spirit Fire Seed, I can try refining a Spiritual Instrument.

Wen Zhixing had initially intended to return to his residence. But then he remembered Xiao Rou might still be in his room, so he decided to stay put for now.

No one would disturb him here.

If he went back, Xiao Rou’s presence would make certain things inconvenient.

Wen Zhixing stretched out his hand and slowly uttered, "Earth Spirit Fire!"

BUZZ!

The Earth Spirit Fire Seed, which had been dormant in his Sea of Qi, suddenly sprang to life, beginning to spin rapidly. Crimson Earth Spirit Fire surged from it and was transmitted outward.

BOOM!

Burning Fire erupted from Wen Zhixing’s palm.

"Is this Earth Spirit Fire?" Wen Zhixing’s gaze sharpened.

Upon closer inspection, this Earth Spirit Fire was clearly different from ordinary flames. This flame was denser, so dense it resembled flowing magma.

"As long as it’s sufficient," Wen Zhixing muttered. He didn’t care how strong the Earth Spirit Fire was, as long as it suited his current stage.

The next moment, he took out an instrument cauldron, along with a large quantity of casting materials. These were all items he had previously collected in the Refining Artifact Hall. They should be adequate for refining some low-level Spiritual Instruments.

"Whew... Let’s begin..." Wen Zhixing took a deep breath, pushed his hand forward, and the Earth Core Fire ignited fiercely inside the cauldron.

The flames blazed intensely. On the surface of the cauldron, spirit patterns began to emerge, inscribed to improve the quality of refined items.

A huge hammer appeared in Wen Zhixing’s hand. Since he was refining, forging was naturally required.

Although Wen Zhixing had reached the Second Realm on the refining path, he was still a beginner. He still needed to rely on external tools. Once he gained enough experience, he could condense his own Spiritual Qi into a hammer to temper materials. Spiritual Instruments refined in such a way would be superior, as each strike would imbue the item with the refiner’s Spiritual Qi, making it inherently stronger than others.

BOOM!

The flames surged higher.

"About right," Wen Zhixing observed, then began to carefully toss the forging materials into the inferno.

The scorching flames intensely heated the materials, turning piece after piece of refined iron incandescent.

THUD!

Wen Zhixing lifted the great hammer and slammed it down. This refined iron contained a considerable amount of impurities. What Wen Zhixing had to do was continuously hammer and purify it.

This was the fundamental skill he had to master!

Time to start forging!

「Meanwhile, in Wen Zhixing’s small courtyard.」

Ning Shan was still there. She remained silent, her expression growing increasingly frigid. Xiao Rou stood by helplessly, her face a mask of resignation.

Speechless.

I told you to go back first.

But you insisted on waiting.

And now look what happened. You didn’t get to see him, and all you’ve got is a bellyful of anger.

As of now, Wen Zhixing had not returned for a full two days.

"...Senior Sister Ning, please... take a seat. I’ll go get you something to eat..." After a long pause, Xiao Rou, finding nothing else to do, found an excuse to withdraw.

"Damn you, Wang Shouzhen!" Ning Shan ignored Xiao Rou, unable to stop herself from slamming her hand on the table.

She really hadn’t expected this.

It was one thing for Wen Zhixing to stand her up for a day.

But for him not to return the next day either...

Just a moment ago, her Sea of Qi had fractured a bit more, worsening her injuries.

At this point, she was genuinely enraged.

She couldn’t afford to delay treating her injuries any longer.

"Senior... Senior Sister Ning... should... should you go back first?" Seeing Ning Shan’s state, Xiao Rou’s heart pounded even harder.

She was groaning inwardly. She had been keeping Ning Shan company this entire time. While Ning Shan sat, she had been standing. Thankfully, she was a cultivator. If she were a mortal, who could endure standing for two days and two nights?

"Hmph, I’ll wait for him one more day!" Ning Shan declared, her delicate brows tightly furrowed as she spoke through gritted teeth.

Leaving now would be too dissatisfying.

She could still manage to stabilize her injuries for a bit longer.

Just one more day.

She had to wait for Wang Shouzhen.

She absolutely had to get an explanation.

If she wasn’t satisfied, Ning Shan had already decided to use essence absorption on "Wang Shouzhen"!

I don’t care if you’re Si Nanyan’s disciple!

Provoke me, and I’m capable of anything!

She was almost blinded by anger now.

"Fine... fine then," Xiao Rou conceded, feeling even more exasperated internally. Why is she being so stubborn?

And so, they continued to wait.

But Ning Shan was destined to be disappointed. Time ticked by, second by second. When night fell, Wen Zhixing had not returned. Ning Shan could barely contain her temper, her heart filled with immense vexation.

I should have just left yesterday.

Or rather, I should have sent someone to find out what games he was playing yesterday.

"Xiao Rou." Finally, Ning Shan could bear it no longer.

"Senior Sister Ning," Xiao Rou, who had been standing by, responded hurriedly.

"Go find your Senior Brother Wang. Tell him I’m waiting for him," Ning Shan said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word.

She even began to suspect: Had "Wang Shouzhen" already fled?

That couldn’t be it, could it?

There must be a reason Si Nanyan allowed him to move about freely.

"This... Yes, Senior Sister Ning, I’ll go right now." After a slight hesitation, Xiao Rou agreed. She also wanted to know what on earth "Wang Shouzhen" was up to.

With that, Xiao Rou transformed into a gust of wind and vanished.

Ordinarily, Ning Shan would have dispatched people to search for him long ago. However, this was a special period, with hardly anyone available. The few present were solely focused on maintaining the Wonderous Palace’s daily operations, leaving no one for Ning Shan to command. Furthermore, Ning Shan hadn’t anticipated Wen Zhixing would stand her up so thoroughly. One delay after another had led to this current predicament.

...

Once Xiao Rou left, the place felt even more desolate. Ning Shan sat cross-legged, focusing all her effort on suppressing her injuries. However, she hadn’t anticipated that even with Xiao Rou searching, "Wang Shouzhen" still wouldn’t return. Xiao Rou, too, had vanished without a trace.

「Another night passed.」

Ning Shan slowly opened her eyes. She scanned her surroundings; still no one...

"Wang Shouzhen!" Ning Shan gritted her silver teeth. "You actually dare to trick me!"

No, this won’t do.

I really can’t suppress my injuries any longer. I can’t wait anymore!

During these three days, her condition had deteriorated rapidly.

Ning Shan truly couldn’t fathom what "Wang Shouzhen" hoped to achieve by playing her like this.

Of course, she would never have guessed that a certain someone had simply forgotten the entire matter.