CHAPTER 74: TOMORROW’S TEST LEAKS

Lady Ming Yue entered after Li Shen invited her in. At first, the guards from the Ming Yuan Sect asked the woman not to act rashly. They were worried that Shen Li would take advantage of Lady Ming Yue.

However, Li Shen reassured them that Lady Ming Yue was safe with him. No power in heaven or earth could harm her as long as she was with Li Shen.

"You are being too excessive, Daoist Shen," replied Ming Yue.

"You are my guest. Your safety is my responsibility. Allow me to protect you as part of my responsibility," said Li Shen.

Ming Yue’s cheeks flushed red, embarrassed by Shen Li’s bold attitude, even though Ming Yue knew very well that the man was only a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator, while Ming Yue was a Perfect Nascent Soul cultivator.

The power gap between them was already huge, but Li Shen still insisted on protecting Ming Yue on the grounds that she was his guest.

In the end, the guards agreed to it. However, they gave Li Shen and Ming Yue two hours to talk to each other. Two hours was more than enough time for Li Shen to learn a lot about Ming Yue and Ming Gong.

The two sat on soft cushions on the floor, facing each other with hot tea served before them. Right beside them was the large fish pond that Li Shen had used for meditation earlier, and Ming Yue occasionally turned her attention to it.

"Did you visit other participants like you visited me?" Li Shen asked.

"No. I didn’t find anything interesting about them. They’re all just arrogant people from their sects and families," replied Ming Yue, sipping the warm tea in her cup.

Li Shen nodded. He was quite fortunate with this situation, but on the other hand, he was worried that Ming Yue had her own reasons for getting close to him.

’It’s best to remain humble and not stand out. Don’t make Ming Yue suspicious,’ replied Li Shen, staring intently at the woman.

The man continued to smile broadly, then took the teapot and poured more hot tea for Ming Yue. The woman would certainly not refuse; she was actually happy to receive such treatment from Li Shen.

"Tomorrow is the start of the main round. Have you prepared anything?" asked Ming Yue. Li Shen shook his head.

"I haven’t done anything. I haven’t even gotten any information about tomorrow’s test in the main round," replied Li Shen.

Li Shen was different from the other participants. He had no connections or ties to the Ming Yuan Sect, so he couldn’t obtain any leaked information about tomorrow’s test. Ming Yue realized Li Shen’s difficulty and knew that he would have a hard time doing everything on his own.

"Tomorrow’s test is the Special Condition Test," Ming Yue replied, not hesitating to give Li Shen the information.

"Special Condition Test?"

"The Ming Yuan Sect will give you materials to refine a 5th level pill. You have 18 hours to refine the pill under different conditions," said Ming Yue.

"The special conditions refer to storms, spiritual pressure, illusions, and so on. This is to train the alchemists to be able to refine high-level pills under all conditions," explained Ming Yue.

Li Shen nodded. He had already guessed that the pill battle in the main round would be much more difficult and dangerous than the previous rounds. Making a grade 5 pill was not difficult for Li Shen, but having to do it while surrounded by spiritual lightning was a different matter.

For some other cultivators, they would find this difficult. The chances of them failing were very high. However, Li Shen was confident in his abilities.

He was certain he could refine a level 5 pill quickly in less than 18 hours, no matter how dangerous the situation.

"Alright. I understand."

"Do you have a specific plan for that?" asked Ming Yue, looking worried.

"Yes. I already have a plan for that. I will easily pass the first round of the main stage," replied Li Shen.

Ming Yue smiled broadly; she knew for certain that Li Shen had his own way of winning tomorrow’s battle. Ming Yue would be the first to cheer if Shen Li successfully passed tomorrow’s test.

Li Shen smiled. He poured the warm tea back into Ming Yue’s cup, which she accepted happily. The two chatted for a long time, discussing nothing but hobbies and ambitions. Li Shen didn’t want to overdo it.

There would be time for him to learn more about Ming Gong and his Blood Seal. He just needed to build Ming Yue’s trust in him.

With that, Ming Yue would be easy for Li Shen to control. In the end, he could achieve his goal of destroying the Blood Seal without having to fight a large battle with many people.

Their conversation lasted for two hours. As agreed with Ming Yue’s two guards, Li Shen ended the meeting and told Ming Yue to return. The woman did not object; she was satisfied with her friendly chat with Li Shen.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Daoist Shen."

"Call me Shen Li. We are no longer strangers, Lady Ming Yue," replied Li Shen.

"Then you should also call me by my name since we are friends now. Right?" asked Ming Yue, causing Li Shen to smile and chuckle.

"Alright, Ming Yue."

Ming Yue took her leave, waving her hand and returning to the Ocean Palace.

Unexpectedly, a man in a golden robe arrived with two bodyguards. He was Ji Hao Fei, the young master of the Ji family, one of the most respected cultivator families in the Ming Zhao Kingdom.

"Yue’er?" asked Ji Hao Fei.

"Brother Fei?" asked Ming Yue.

Indeed! The two had been close since childhood. Ming Yue always regarded Ji Hao Fei as her older brother, but it was different for Ji Hao Fei. He had always seen Ming Yue as the woman of his dreams, and his greatest desire was to marry her.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ming Yue.

"I brought you some pill ingredients. This can help you break through," replied Ji Hao Fei, handing her several wooden boxes containing pill-making materials.

Ming Yue was taken aback, unsure of how to react. However, she had to accept Ji Hao Fei’s gift no matter what, to maintain the relationship between the two families.

"I promise! I’ll win this pill tournament so I can marry you," Ji Haofei replied.

"Ah, okay. Good luck."