CHAPTER 220: CHAPTER 205 EXPLORATION

The Xiao Swordsmanship Association is highly organized, with strict hierarchical levels.

Levels 1 to 4 are essentially peripheral members.

Levels 5 to 8 are core members.

Levels 9 and 10 are the true leadership class. Generally speaking, the limit for outsiders is Level 7.

If one wants to enter the leadership of the Xiao family, they must completely pledge allegiance by changing their name and surname.

In fact, even after changing names, outsiders are still outsiders. Those not of the direct lineage of the Xiao family cannot enter the real decision-making level.

Gao Xuan has no interest in leading the Xiao family; he only wants to obtain the Undying Golden Cicada.

For a Level 4 member to become a Level 5 member, they need to first accumulate a thousand association points. Then, the association committee must approve their application, and upon approval, they become a Level 5 member.

Level 5 members are core members, and the approval process is usually very strict.

Gao Xuan feels that with his current status, it might be difficult to gain approval in the short term.

However, there is a shortcut. If you gather five thousand points, as long as your identity checks out, no approval is needed; you automatically become a Level 5 member.

There’s an even more straightforward way: members can directly donate money to the association.

A million for one point. If he resolves to spend fifty billion, he can immediately become a Level 5 member.

But this direct upgrade comes at the expense of consuming points.

In other words, he exchanges fifty billion for the qualification of being a Level 5 member. All five thousand points will be consumed.

This kind of deal is a bit too costly, and even though he has more than eight billion, he can’t waste it so freely.

Even in the Central Star Realm, that’s a huge amount of money.

If he can find the Undying Golden Cicada in the treasure vault, he might need to spend money to buy it out.

Gao Xuan studied the association rules and felt there are some loopholes he could exploit.

It’s not that there are obvious rule defects, but in relation to his power, some rules concerning lower-level members could be exploited.

Xiao Wan thinks Gao Xuan is thinking too far ahead; the key is to deal with the immediate assessment.

No matter what kind of person Xiao Hanshan is, he is a Silver Sword Hero. Even though he is only one level above a Tenth-level Swordsman, he is ten times stronger in battle strength.

Although Gao Xuan has mental superpowers, it doesn’t guarantee a win.

Xiao Wan said, "I’ll get the Self-playing Jade Flute first, at least it can increase spiritual power. Once the assessment is done, I can return it."

"Alright." Gao Xuan thinks the Self-playing Jade Flute is not useful, but since Xiao Wan is so eager, there’s no harm in using it.

Before leaving, Xiao Wan seriously warned Gao Xuan, "Dong Kuohai deserves to be killed. But he has served in the military for many years and has some comrades there. Yun Qingshang must be wary of those seeking vengeance."

Gao Xuan nodded, acknowledging that figures like Dong Kuohai surely have complex social networks.

It’s normal for someone to avenge Dong Kuohai. However, with Yun Qingshang by his side, no one would dare cause trouble without getting through him.

After sending off Xiao Wan, Gao Xuan suddenly sensed something, and a cyan shadow appeared out of nowhere.

The cyan shadow spun in the air and transformed into Bai Yutang’s appearance.

Clad in a blue lotus dress, Bai Yutang seemed more youthful and tender. The softness and charm in her eyes carried a touch of elegance.

The black wings on her back had also retracted, eliminating that angelic, otherworldly feel.

Gao Xuan was delighted to see Bai Yutang. She had been sleeping for some time, and although he had infused her with intensive spiritual power using the Celestial Demon Relic, there had been no response.

He sensed that Bai Yutang was stable, so he wasn’t too worried. It was just uncertain if the spiritual power of the Celestial Demon Relic had side effects, so he dared not transmit power recklessly.

After all, Bai Yutang is a spiritual lifeform, essentially a spirit body. She lacks a physical body, and the spiritual essence of something like a Celestial Demon Relic could potentially erode her spiritual form, causing damage.

"Sister Tang, you’re finally out,"

Gao Xuan embraced Bai Yutang, finding that she now had more substance and weight.

This was vastly different from when they were on the Pegasus Star.

The ethereal Bai Yutang naturally wouldn’t have weight. All this was condensed Source Power transformed into mass.

The fragrant and smooth Bai Yutang was indistinguishable from a real person. She was even more beautiful and alluring than in life.

If Gao Xuan didn’t know about Bai Yutang’s state, he couldn’t tell she wasn’t a real person.

"Sister Tang, you’ve also progressed in cultivation," Gao Xuan asked in surprise.

Bai Yutang draped her arm around Gao Xuan’s neck and murmured in his ear, "Yes, the Source Power here is abundant, so my power naturally increased. I also organically fused with the Cyan Lotus Sword Order."

Bai Yutang wasn’t fully aware of the changes in herself.

She had been sleeping in the Guardian Ring, with her core consciousness resting. Yet her spirit body had been continually evolving and adjusting on its own.

"Sister Tang, let’s test our synergy,"

Gao Xuan couldn’t fully discern Bai Yutang’s current state, given she is an independent spiritual entity, deeply connected to him yet entirely separate.

With their hands clasped together, as Gao Xuan continuously channeled Source Power, Bai Yutang’s Source Power naturally responded in kind.

Gao Xuan’s control over Source Power was exceptionally precise, with the Source Power of the two surging yet not spilling out.

After nearly a minute of standstill, Gao Xuan slowly withdrew his Source Power. He said with some surprise, "Sister Tang, you’re now a Level 15 Great Sword Hero!"

After just a nap, Bai Yutang’s cultivation suddenly surged to Level 15. Her Source Power was much more robust than his.

Moreover, since Bai Yutang was a Spiritual Spirit Body, her Source Power flowed faster than his. Coupled with the Cyan Lotus Sword Order, Bai Yutang was already a top-tier Sword Hero now.

The only issue was that Bai Yutang’s Swordsmanship was lacking, and her Combat Awareness was still at Level 8. Although her Power was strong, it was hard to master.

However, it wasn’t a big problem; he could assist Bai Yutang in combat if necessary.

Bai Yutang’s rapid and easy level-up made even Gao Xuan a bit envious.

However, he was somewhat concerned.

This immense surge of Power was entirely due to natural changes, not something Bai Yutang actively controlled. This meant Bai Yutang did not understand her own Power.

On the other hand, it also showed how deep Luojia’s accumulation was.

Bai Yutang merely absorbed part of Luojia’s lingering soul, and upon reaching an unrestricted Taurus, she immediately became a top-tier Sword Hero.

In all fairness, Gao Xuan considered Luojia the most formidable opponent he encountered since his rebirth.

A Silver Sword Hero like Xiao Wan would be thrashed if she fought Luojia.

Even a top-tier Silver Sword Hero like Lu Xiuying would not be a match for Luojia on Pegasus Star.

Luojia’s Combat Awareness, cultivation with Secret Techniques, were top-tier in every aspect.

The reason she was confined to the Bronze Level was due to the Source Power environment of Pegasus Star. Now, Luojia’s accumulations were transformed into Bai Yutang’s foundational Power.

Gao Xuan asked, "Sister Tang, what do you feel about the Spiritual Power I gave you?"

"I didn’t feel anything." Bai Yutang, who had been asleep, didn’t know what happened.

Gao Xuan activated the Celestial Demon Relic, releasing a hint of spiritual quality onto Bai Yutang’s hand.

A spark of Spiritual Light was swiftly absorbed by Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang closed her eyes to sense it. When she opened them again, her bright eyes were filled with delight, along with a bit of alluring charm.

"What is this? It feels so good."

"Is it as comfortable as when we sleep?" Gao Xuan asked curiously.

Bai Yutang tapped Gao Xuan gently: "It’s different. This feeling makes me more energetic, more full."

"I can make Sister Tang brimming with fullness." Gao Xuan retorted.

"Nonsense again."

Bai Yutang glanced at Gao Xuan, "This spiritual quality seems very useful to me."

"The spiritual Power from the Celestial Demon Relic should be used sparingly." Gao Xuan shook his head, not thinking that absorbing too much spiritual Power was beneficial.

The Celestial Demon Relic had accumulated a large amount of spiritual Power, and it increased every day. Whether it’s the Blood Shadow or Gao Xuan, there was much attention to this.

Gao Xuan wasn’t stingy about the spiritual Power, but Bai Yutang being a Spiritual Lifeform, it’s best to use such external Power sparingly.

"Sister Tang, your Power is strong enough now. The key is to learn how to use it."

Gao Xuan held Bai Yutang and said: "Why don’t we test your new body first."

Bai Yutang’s jade-like face turned slightly red, "No, that’s too weird."

Though she wasn’t a flesh and blood being, her body had feelings, but the state was entirely different.

Gao Xuan turned over, pressing Bai Yutang down, he mischievously said: "Sister Tang, you need a spirit of scientific exploration. You don’t understand your body at all, let me help you..."

"No, ah..."

Although Bai Yutang’s body was constructed from Source Power, it had many similarities to a real human body.

For instance, her body had the five senses and could be damaged by external forces. However, she could actively adjust her senses. Her body could also quickly recover from external damage.

In terms of physical strength, Bai Yutang was roughly on the same level as Yun Qingshang.

It was known that Yun Qingshang had undergone two evolutions of her Genetic Sequence mutations and absorbed Celestial Dragon Blood to gain her powerful body now.

Bai Yutang’s body was merely condensed from Source Power. From this perspective, Bai Yutang’s Source Power body was exceptionally powerful.

However, the Source Power body also had weaknesses. It was very vulnerable to mental damage. Once Bai Yutang’s spirit was damaged, her body could easily collapse.

Gao Xuan possessed experiences from two lifetimes.

She finally clearly understood her body, knowing what she could and couldn’t do.

This kind of interaction also allowed Bai Yutang to re-understand her life and reassess her position.

The next day, Xiao Wan visited again, bringing Gao Xuan a Self-playing Jade Flute, along with the confirmed date for the assessment.

"The assessment date is set, on January 15th. Xiao Hanshan will personally attend, be prepared..."