Chapter 67: Keep Boasting
The blood moon hung in the sky as two figures—one clad in black, the other in white—darted swiftly through the depths of the dense forest.
Suddenly, the black-clad figure halted, pressing a hand against a tree trunk. She lowered her head, shaking it slightly as if dazed.
Xia Feng had no choice but to stop as well, eyeing Mu Qingtong's sweat-beaded face with concern. "What's wrong with you?"
Mu Qingtong raised her gaze, her scattered golden pupils refocusing as she stared at him expressionlessly.
Xia Feng blinked, then realization struck. "Oh, I almost forgot."
He had unconsciously assumed the World-Destroying Witch was invincible, overlooking the toll the evil force's corruption might take on her. But even Mu Qingtong couldn't endure prolonged exposure unscathed.
With that thought, he tilted his chin up, a teasing glint in his dark eyes. "I have to say, Miss Mu, you're quite weak, aren't you?"
Mu Qingtong: ".!"
[I, Mu Qingtong, have never been weaker than anyone in my life! A spark of inspiration flashed. After a preliminary molecular analysis of the evil force, the D-grade Evil-Cleansing Spirit Robe was optimized and upgraded. You have successfully mastered the D-grade Spirit Robe: "Qingtong Vestments."]
[D·Qingtong Vestments]
[Effect 1: Evil filtration efficiency is five times greater than standard Evil-Cleansing Spirit Robes.]
[Effect 2: Movement becomes lighter, increasing speed by 20%.]
Mu Qingtong shot him a cool glance before resuming her stride. "Let's go."
Xia Feng smirked and followed.
"Miss Mu, if you're struggling, you can just tell me. No need to push yourself—"
"Are you going to keep spouting nonsense?"
"What I meant to say is, you're going the wrong way. It's this way."
"..."
The two pressed onward. The address on the back of the photo indicated their contact, Big Face Cat, would be waiting beneath Wisdom Tree No. 004.
The Liuwei Society explored the Evil Dragon Forest annually, marking each Wisdom Tree they discovered with a number and gradually mapping the forest's outer perimeter.
Xia Feng had seen the Liuwei Society's Wisdom Tree map during his last entry and roughly remembered the location of No. 004.
The distance was vast—even at full speed, he estimated it would take ten hours to reach.
Three hours later...
"Miss Mu, can you still keep up?"
"Stop wasting time. Move faster."
"Tch, just endure it then~"
[Endure? What a joke! Another flash of inspiration. After further molecular analysis of the evil force, the D-grade Qingtong Vestments were optimized and upgraded. You have successfully mastered the C-grade Spirit Robe: "Qingtong Spirit Clothe."]
[C·Qingtong Spirit Clothe]
[Crafted by Qingtong—guaranteed excellence.]
[Effect 1: Enhanced evil filtration, ten times more efficient than standard Evil-Cleansing Spirit Robes.]
[Effect 2: Lightness—movement becomes even lighter, increasing speed by 50%.]
[Effect 3: Virtual Pressure—can simulate 1x to 10x your spiritual pressure to intimidate targets.]
Xia Feng paused, glancing at Mu Qingtong.
The black-clad woman noticed his hesitation first. "What? Can't handle it?"
"Heh~"
Xia Feng's competitive spirit flared. He refused to believe she could outlast him.
"Bring it on!"
Though both were breathing heavily, they accelerated again, the contest growing fiercer.
However, before long, Xia Feng checked the location card and was startled to find the red and blue markers nearly overlapping.
Had Player No. 11 already reached Area 51? Even entered the Evil Dragon Forest?
This suggested No. 11 wasn't an ordinary figure—perhaps with military ties, given that only such individuals could access the forest outside official opening days.
But it didn't matter now.
Since No. 11 had caught up, they'd have to give this "guest" a proper welcome.
As he pondered, Xia Feng turned to the woman in black. "Miss Mu, how are the spirit materials for your second-stage advancement coming along?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"I'm just curious. You wouldn't tell me anyway, right?"
"Almost ready. The ice silk, three life fruits, and wood evil spirit are prepared, but Jupiter flowers are scarce now. According to my information, Jupiter flowers may bloom in the Wood Demon Disaster Zone of Southern New Frontier in a few days."
So the Jupiter flowers were still missing.
Xia Feng was about to respond when he suddenly frowned and glanced back. He sensed an intensely active evil force rapidly approaching from behind.
Checking the location card, it wasn't No. 11—it could only be pursuers sent by the prince.
"Shh—"
Xia Feng pointed behind them and signaled with his eyes.
Mu Qingtong immediately understood. Using stealth and their bronze masks, the two concealed themselves in the forest, remaining perfectly still.
Soon, a black-robed man wearing a white mask marked with a red "8" arrived at the spot where they had stood moments earlier. He looked around in confusion. "Where did they go?"
"Whoosh—"
Just then, two shadowy figures darted past in the distance before vanishing.
The 8-faced man reacted instantly, his figure flashing as he gave chase.
Once he was gone, the two figures—still motionless on a giant nearby tree—reappeared.
The black-clad woman looked thoughtful. "Judging by his movement technique, only a second-stage spirit master could perform Instant Step."
"And he's highly corrupted by evil," Xia Feng added with a nod. "I wasted two wooden soldiers to buy us some time. Let's move!"
The two sped off in opposite directions.
"Where are we going?" Mu Qingtong asked. "Shouldn't we eliminate this 8-faced man first?"
"Of course we'll deal with the pursuers. But for safety's sake, I'm taking you to level up first."
"Level up?"
"Yes. Miss Mu, frankly, you've been stuck at stage one for so long. As your fiancé, I can't bear it!"
Xia Feng glanced at her and shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. "You're too weak! So I'll reluctantly help you advance to stage two."
Mu Qingtong's pale golden eyes stared calmly at this junior. "Heh."
She knew her foolish fiancé was provoking her again and couldn't be bothered to indulge him.
"You should advance to stage two first," she replied flatly.
Xia Feng waved a hand dismissively. "For me, advancing to stage two is as easy as eating. I'm only holding back because I choose to."
"..."
Watching Xia Feng's confident demeanor, Mu Qingtong frowned slightly, her golden eyes skeptical. "Have you collected all your spirit materials? Yours aren't easy to obtain, are they?"
Both had reached the required spiritual pressure for advancement. The real hurdle was gathering materials—a step that often trapped people for years.
Even with a suitable formula, the promotion carried a 30% failure risk. Failure meant starting the arduous collection process anew.
"Of course I haven't collected them all," Xia Feng admitted.
"But a spirit master's advancement is like crossing a river. Spirit materials are merely a bridge. No bridge? Then swim across."
He paused dramatically. "Sure, the risk of being swept away skyrockets. But I—" Xia Feng gazed nobly at the moon, striking a lone warrior's pose—"am a genius who can cross that river bridge-free with 100% success!"
"Haha."
Mu Qingtong offered a polite, strained smile. "If you keep boasting, I might actually start believing you."
(End of this chapter)