Chapter 119

This Nascent Soul Tribulation was overwhelming, with heavenly thunder seemingly intent on utterly obliterating the one undergoing tribulation.

Because Ning Xu did not belong to this era, the power of her tribulation far exceeded those of the past.

However, it was not without its benefits.

At the very least, the commotion caused by contracting the divine artifact had been largely concealed.

The vast torrents of heavenly thunder completely overshadowed the mystical phenomena triggered by the artifact.

Faced with such an unprecedented tribulation, Ning Xu did not dare to be careless. She took out all the defensive spiritual artifacts from her storage pouch.

As for that one “divine artifact” specifically crafted to endure tribulations, she planned to save it for last.

While she was fully focused on transcending the tribulation, a group of Mahayana cultivators had completely erupted into chaos over the commotion she had caused.
—

The battle over the Mountains and Rivers Diagram had yet to reach a conclusion. Several peak Mahayana and late-stage Mahayana cultivators were still locked in a tense standoff.

Everyone wanted the divine artifact, but unfortunately, there was only one Mountains and Rivers Diagram, while there were dozens of Mahayana cultivators present.

For now, they remained wary of each other, with no one willing to reveal their trump cards.

If it truly came to that, the situation would spiral out of control.

Seeing that one of the peak Mahayana cultivators seemed ready to go all out to obtain the Mountains and Rivers Diagram, an elder female cultivator spoke up,

“Fellow Daoists, cultivation is not easy. We, more than anyone, understand the hardships of this path.”

“We seek the Mountains and Rivers Diagram for the sake of ascension. But if, in the process of obtaining it, we drag innocent people into this conflict, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?”

Hearing her words, a rough-looking male cultivator burst into laughter.

“Then let’s head to the inner regions of the Boundless Sea and fight it out! No low-level cultivators ever set foot there. Whoever wins gets the Mountains and Rivers Diagram!”

The female cultivator shook her head. “With so many of us here, are you suggesting a free-for-all?”

If a full-blown battle broke out, it would not be as simple as losing one or two cultivators.

Every cultivator here held a high status in the cultivation world, and each had powerful clans or sects behind them. If any of them perished, it would be a significant blow to their respective factions. Moreover, the fall of such powerful figures would be a great loss to the cultivation world as a whole.

Many of them had yet to choose a successor. If they were to perish, wouldn’t their lifelong knowledge and techniques disappear along with them?

The female cultivator spoke in a deep voice, “We haven’t reached that point yet. We—”

The rough male cultivator interrupted her, growling, “Then what do you propose? Are we just going to waste time here forever?”

They had already been deadlocked for a long time. Continuing to stall would lead nowhere.

After he spoke, a refined-looking middle-aged male cultivator let out a sigh and said,

“This battle is inevitable, sooner or later.”

The peak Mahayana cultivators among them were running out of lifespan. They could not afford to wait much longer.

Only by obtaining the Mountains and Rivers Diagram did they have a slim chance of survival.

But… divine artifacts were rare, and only the fated could obtain them.

It all depended on who had the ability.

The rough-looking cultivator grew impatient. “Then let’s fight now!”

Seeing this, the other silent Mahayana cultivators stood up, expressing their support through action.

The female cultivator felt her heart sink.

Even though the battle had yet to begin, she could already envision rivers of blood.

This fight would be one of no return, likely dragging on for a long time…

Just as the group of Mahayana cultivators prepared to settle the matter in the Boundless Sea, the Mountains and Rivers Diagram before them suddenly moved.

Before anyone could react, the diagram flashed with golden light—

And in an instant, it completely vanished before their eyes!

Seeing this, the rough male cultivator roared in shock,

“What happened?! Where’s the Mountains and Rivers Diagram?!”

A knowledgeable cultivator, face pale and lips trembling, murmured,

“A divine artifact… It has acknowledged a master?!”

Even the refined male cultivator lost his composure. His voice wavered as he exclaimed,

“Acknowledged a master? Impossible! Didn’t we all see with our own eyes that Jin Shen from the Jin family had severed his contract with the Mountains and Rivers Diagram?”

If Jin Shen had already relinquished ownership and none of them had taken action yet, how could the Mountains and Rivers Diagram have recognized a master?

The knowledgeable cultivator shook his head.

“That contract… was flawed. It had loopholes.”

He muttered,

“When I first encountered the Mountains and Rivers Diagram, it lacked a spirit. I assumed it was an incomplete divine artifact and thought its artifact spirit had long since perished. But in reality… it had an artifact spirit all along.”

The female cultivator, unable to contain her urgency, asked,

“What do you mean? It had an artifact spirit? And then?”

The knowledgeable cultivator’s face was ashen.

“And then? What else? A cultivator has already subdued the artifact spirit and become the true master of the Mountains and Rivers Diagram.”

“And to think we were still fighting over it! Little did we know, we were doing nothing but wasting our time!”

With that, the cultivator let out a bitter laugh.

He had spent so long arguing with them, only to realize that all this time, he had been grasping at nothing.

With all the top cultivators of the realm gathered here, this meant that the one who obtained the Mountains and Rivers Diagram was merely an ordinary cultivator, someone whose cultivation was far below theirs.

Yet despite their numbers, not one of them had managed to surpass that person.

Upon hearing this explanation, the faces of several great cultivators darkened.

Someone had taken advantage of their distraction to secure the artifact spirit and successfully form a contract with the divine artifact?

Who was it?

Who had beaten them to it?

The eldest cultivator present slammed her dragon-headed staff into the ground, her voice heavy with authority.

“Investigate! Find out who it is!”

She had to know whose hands the Mountains and Rivers Diagram had fallen into!
—

The new master of the Mountains and Rivers Diagram was currently enduring the final strikes of the Nascent Soul Tribulation.

The later tribulation lightning strikes grew exponentially stronger.

Ning Xu’s body was already in a terrible state, battered and broken.

At this point, she no longer hesitated and took out the so-called “divine artifact” crafted by the auction house’s staff specifically for enduring tribulations.

The thunder roared as it descended—

Yet the “divine artifact” absorbed and negated a significant portion of its damage!

Even the tribulation lightning itself seemed momentarily stunned.

After a brief pause, it sent down an even larger, more destructive bolt of lightning!

But even such a powerful strike was partially absorbed by the “divine artifact”!

The tribulation lightning wanted to continue—

But at that moment, the cycle of forty-nine strikes had concluded.

Despite its unwillingness, it had no choice but to retreat.

As the tribulation clouds dispersed, gentle spiritual rain began to fall.

The life-giving rain trickled over Ning Xu’s battered body, slowly mending her injuries.

The Melon-Eating System was beside itself with distress.

【Host, transcending a tribulation three thousand years ago was truly no easy feat.】

Ning Xu let out a soft “mm.”

Though the tribulation had been far more powerful, the benefits were undeniable.

She could feel her body growing even stronger under the tempering of the tribulation lightning.

She chuckled. “I’ll give Xiao Shiqi a raise when I get back!” If it weren’t for the tribulation artifact that Xiao Shiqi refined, she really wasn’t sure whether she would have successfully advanced today.

A raise was something Xiao Shiqi deserved, and even the black-hearted capitalist—the Melon-Eating System—had nothing to say about it.

After Ning Xu advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, Old Yellow Ox and the little artifact spirit both sent their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Daoist Ning!”

“Congratulations, Master!”

Ning Xu accepted their well-wishes one by one.

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue twice. 【Host, those old geezers have found out that the Mountains and Rivers Diagram has an owner now, and they’re dead set on finding out who the new master is. Let’s leave quickly before we run into them.】

Ning Xu was in a wretched state, with even her hair still emitting black smoke. Hearing this, she didn’t bother tidying herself up and directly left with Old Yellow Ox and the little artifact spirit.

Not long after she departed, several Mahayana cultivators arrived.

“There are traces left from a tribulation.”

“The commotion caused by the tribulation must have masked the movement of the contracted artifact, which is why we only noticed the anomaly here just now.”

“Damn it, who the hell was it?”

“If I find you… I’ll make you pay!”

—

Ning Xu found a secluded place to clean herself up.

As she changed her clothes, the Melon-Eating System was reporting the latest developments in the cultivation world to her.

【Some old geezer posted about the Mountains and Rivers Diagram in the Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area. Now, half of the cultivation world knows it has a new master.】

【The poster even said that if anyone can provide useful information about the new owner of the diagram, they’ll be rewarded with thirty million mid-grade spirit stones.】

【Tsk tsk tsk, those old geezers are really getting desperate this time—coming out swinging with thirty million! Mid-grade! Spirit stones!】

At first, they had assumed the Mountains and Rivers Diagram was damaged, so there had been a delicate balance among them.

Now that they knew the diagram had an artifact spirit and was completely intact—a perfect divine artifact—how could they possibly stay calm?

If it weren’t for the high level of difficulty and the risk of getting themselves killed, even the Melon-Eating System would have been tempted to have its host claim that thirty million! After all, as the involved party, they could definitely provide valid information.

Ning Xu asked, “They shouldn’t be able to trace it back to me, right?”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【Not in the short term.】

【But they’ve lived too long and have massive influence. Given enough time, they’re bound to find some clues.】

By then, though, they would most likely be long gone, so it wouldn’t matter even if those old geezers figured something out.

Compared to the risk of her identity being exposed, what concerned Ning Xu more right now was how to poach someone from their current position.

She had promised the little artifact spirit, and she was definitely going to do her best to fulfill that promise.

The top three male courtesans of Mingyue Pavilion—poaching one of them wouldn’t be easy. After careful consideration, she decided to start with the fox clan.

“Guazi, do you know what Fox Yao’s weakness is?”

The Melon-Eating System replied, 【Hold on, Host, let me check.】

After a moment, the Melon-Eating System said, 【Found it!】

Ning Xu asked, “What is it?”

【Ascension! His only weakness is his desire to ascend! He’s willing to give up everything for it!】

Ning Xu: …

Capturing Fox Yao’s heart was going to be far more difficult than seducing the catboy.

After all, the catboy was just a hedonist, while Fox Yao wanted to ascend!

The Melon-Eating System, however, was indifferent. 【What’s so hard about that? Host, you’re going to ascend sooner or later—just take Fox Yao with you when the time comes!】

Ning Xu: …

That’s an option?

No, it wasn’t enough that the Melon-Eating System was feeding her empty promises; now, it wanted her to do the same to others?

The Melon-Eating System was brimming with confidence. 【Host, how is this an empty promise? This is something that is absolutely, definitely, inevitably going to happen!】

Ning Xu: “…Thanks for your confidence in me!”

She just wasn’t sure if Fox Yao would actually take the bait.

—

Ning Xu originally planned to visit Mingyue Pavilion in a few days, but unexpectedly, before she could go looking for Fox Yao, he came looking for her first.

She had no idea how he managed to track her down so precisely while she was out in the wild stabilizing her cultivation.

The first thing he said upon arriving was, “You’re the new master of the Mountains and Rivers Diagram, aren’t you?”

Ning Xu: ???

The Melon-Eating System: …

“You…”

Sensing the killing intent in Ning Xu’s tone, Fox Yao lowered his proud head slightly in a gesture of submission.

“I deduced it. No one told me.”

Ning Xu’s gaze toward Fox Yao changed.

She had initially thought he was just an exceptionally beautiful fox, but now, he had even managed to figure out something like this?

They hadn’t even interacted much before.

How exactly had he analyzed his way to this conclusion?

As expected, even a male courtesan selling his charms in Mingyue Pavilion couldn’t be underestimated.

Ning Xu asked, “Why did you come to find me?”

Fox Yao didn’t hide his intentions.

“If you were able to become the new master of a divine artifact, that means you are extraordinary.”

“I want to form a contract with you and become your spirit beast. When you ascend one day, I want to ascend alongside you.”

Ning Xu: ???

Who would have thought that before she could even bait him, he’d come running to take the bait himself?

The Melon-Eating System burst into arrogant laughter. 【This fox has good taste, hahahaha! Guess being a male courtesan for too long makes you addicted to being a kept man, huh?】

【He just wants to cling to your thigh, Host.】

Ning Xu hesitated for a moment before replying, “But I already have a natal spirit beast.” Right now, her natal spirit beast was still fast asleep in her beast pouch, completely unaware of what was happening.

Fox Yao remained unfazed. “If I can’t be your natal spirit beast, being your secondary spirit beast is fine too.”

Secondary spirit beast?

That was a thing?

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue. 【He’s really not picky—even willing to settle for being a secondary spirit beast.】

Then, it explained, 【Host, aside from a natal spirit beast, a cultivator can also form contracts with up to six secondary spirit beasts in their lifetime.】

【But since they’re secondary, their status is far inferior to a natal spirit beast.】

【A natal spirit beast shares a bond of mutual prosperity and destruction with its master, but a secondary spirit beast does not. Even if a master kills their secondary spirit beast, it won’t affect them.】

【That said, secondary spirit beasts do benefit from their master somewhat. If the master doesn’t break the contract before ascending, they can ascend alongside them.】

In other words, whether a secondary spirit beast could ascend depended entirely on the master’s whims. A natal spirit beast was bound to its master for life and couldn’t be unbound, whereas a secondary spirit beast’s contract could be canceled at any time without consequence.

Ning Xu was surprised.

“You’re sure?”

Fox Yao’s voice was firm. “I’m sure.”

In her mind, the little artifact spirit was already bursting with excitement, urging her to contract him immediately.

Ning Xu hadn’t expected poaching Fox Yao would be so easy. Just as she was about to say something else, several figures suddenly emerged behind them.

Or rather, it wasn’t “people” but foxes.

The leading male fox smiled dazzlingly. He was dressed in a purple robe embroidered with intricate patterns. The color was bold, the patterns elaborate, but on him, it all looked just right.

His voice was as luxurious as his appearance. “Brother, how could you not tell your little brother about such a good thing?”

The foxes behind him chimed in. “Exactly, exactly.”

“Good thing our ‘Fox Speech’ skills are decent, or we would’ve missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Then, the five fox spirits walked toward Ning Xu together.

The sight of five stunning male fox spirits appearing at the same time was visually overwhelming, creating an intense contrast.

Fox Yao’s expression tightened at their arrival.

Each of the five newcomers had their own unique charm—some flamboyant, some seductive, some lively, some youthful—but without exception, they all had stunning faces, no less striking than Fox Yao himself.

From the moment they appeared, Ning Xu’s mind had not been at peace.

The little artifact spirit shrieked in excitement. “I love them!!!”

“So much love!!!”

“Master, I want them all! All of them!”

Ning Xu: …

The Melon-Eating System sighed. 【Host, you’ve stirred up a whole den of male fox spirits.】