Chapter 14

The Melon-Eating System temporarily went offline, and Ning Xu didn’t speak any further.

After no longer hearing her communication with the Melon-Eating System, the fellow disciples felt quite uncomfortable.

It was as if something was missing in their hearts.

What was going on?

They had always been used to it, so why did it feel so strange now?

In just a short time, they seemed to have already grown accustomed to Ning Xu and the Melon-Eating System’s presence. Once they stopped talking, they became unaccustomed.

—

Half an hour later, the new disciples had all chosen their own spirit beasts, and the entire Beast Peak was filled with the sound of their joyful laughter.

The Sect Leader cleared his throat and spoke aloud, “All disciples.”

The disciples instantly quieted down, listening attentively to the Sect Leader’s teachings.

“Today, although you have chosen low-level spirit beasts, they will be your loyal companions for a long time. Treat your companions with care, thoughtfulness, and patience, do you understand?”

The disciples responded in unison, “Understood!”

“Good. For the first month, the sect will provide spirit food, but after that, you will have to earn it yourselves!”

The disciples cheerfully said, “Understood, Sect Leader!”

The Beast Peak disciples began distributing spirit food to each disciple, and Ning Xu also received the portion for Brother Pig.

Looking at the full storage bag of spirit food, for some reason, Ning Xu had the feeling that it wouldn’t be enough.

After the distribution of the spirit food, the disciples began to disperse.

On their way back, they excitedly discussed their spirit beasts and the various contracts they had signed.

As for Ning Xu…

She looked at Brother Pig in front of her, feeling a bit troubled. She hadn’t forgotten that today, the Sect Leader had ordered the disciples to choose flying spirit beasts.

But could Brother Pig fly?

Also, the Melon-Eating System had said that after signing an ordinary contract with Brother Pig, she would naturally know its true form. However, she had not signed an ordinary contract but a Master-Servant contract.

After signing the Master-Servant contract, she still didn’t know Brother Pig’s true nature.

Was this reasonable?

Seeing that the others were almost gone, Ning Xu thought for a moment and asked Brother Pig, “Brother Pig, can you be used as a mount spirit beast?”

Brother Pig didn’t respond.

Instead, Brother Pig made it clear through his actions that he could not.

Ning Xu had anticipated this and wasn’t too disappointed.

Resigned, she led Brother Pig through the Beast Peak’s teleportation array, walking for over two hours before finally arriving back at her small cottage.

Once back, she immediately took out a high-grade spirit stone to absorb its energy.

High-grade spirit stones were limited, so the plan to earn more spirit stones had to be put into action.

Sure enough, as soon as the spiritual energy was sufficient, the Melon-Eating System came online again.

Ning Xu asked, “What were you about to say?”

The Melon-Eating System lazily replied, 【Nothing, Brother Pig is not bad. Whether it’s the Master-Servant contract or the Master-Soul contract, it’s fine.】

The Melon-Eating System’s attitude had changed completely, but Ning Xu didn’t ask further. After all, when it was time to explain, the Melon-Eating System would explain.

Right now, she was only focused on one issue: “Since Brother Pig can’t be used as a mount spirit beast, I’ll still have to walk when I go out.”

Her fellow disciples all had flying spirit beasts.

Though she had a ninth-tier spirit beast, she still didn’t have a flying spirit beast!

The Melon-Eating System was silent for a while, then said, 【…This is indeed a problem.】

Two seconds later, it tried to save face, 【But now that you’re at the second level of Qi Refining, you can start making money. Once you have enough spirit stones, getting a flying spirit beast or a flying shuttle will be a piece of cake.】

Easier said than done, though.

Wait…

Second level of Qi Refining?

Ning Xu hadn’t noticed at first, but when the Melon-Eating System mentioned it, she realized that she had already advanced from the first level of Qi Refining to the second.

She blinked. “Did I just level up?”

The Melon-Eating System explained, 【It’s because you signed the Master-Servant contract with Brother Pig. A Master-Soul spirit beast and its owner are complementary. The higher the spirit beast’s natural talent, the more benefits its owner gains. Similarly, the higher the owner’s cultivation, the faster the spirit beast will grow.】

Ning Xu thought for a moment. “It only took me four days to go from Qi Refining Entry to the second level. Is my cultivation speed too fast?”

The Melon-Eating System casually replied, 【That speed is just ordinary.】

Truly, the “ordinary” cultivation speed of the disciples, “…”

They felt insulted.

They would love to have such an “ordinary” cultivation speed!

Ning Xu, “…What I mean is, will my cultivation speed attract unwanted attention?”

The Melon-Eating System nonchalantly replied, 【Don’t worry, with me around, unless it’s a cultivator in the Tribulation Stage or above, normal cultivators won’t be able to see through your real cultivation.】

“Good!”

After chatting for a while, Brother Pig slowly walked over and nudged Ning Xu with his snout.

Ning Xu, “…”

“Brother Pig, are you hungry?”

Brother Pig still didn’t speak, only silently gazing at her with his small eyes.

Ning Xu cooperatively took out the spirit food bag given by the sect and retrieved some food for him.

And then…

There was no “and then.”

The spirit food, which was supposed to last a month for low-level spirit beasts, was all gone in a matter of minutes.

Not a single bit was left.

In fact, Brother Pig even gave her a look with his small eyes, signaling for more.

Ning Xu was silent for a while before laughing, “Brother Pig, your appetite is really something.”

Knowing that Ning Xu had nothing more to offer, Brother Pig slowly turned and lay down in the corner of the room.

Since crossing over, Ning Xu had worked hard to cultivate in order to achieve freedom in eating melon, but it wasn’t until now that she truly felt the pressure.

Her Master-Soul spirit beast was just too hungry!

The Melon-Eating System remained silent.

It didn’t dare to speak.

Ning Xu calmed herself and asked, “You just said I could start earning money. Do you have any suggestions?” Currently, earning spirit stones was a matter of urgency, or her spirit beast would go hungry.

After all, Brother Pig had become her Master-Soul spirit beast, and as its owner, she had to feed it, right?

Hearing this, the Melon-Eating System immediately responded with enthusiasm, 【Yes!】

Ning Xu patiently awaited the next part.

The Melon-Eating System chuckled mischievously.

【Before that, you can accumulate some initial capital.】

Ning Xu, “Such as?”

【For example, there’s something valuable on the mountain where you are. You can go and dig it up.】

Ning Xu, “???”

The leaders of the South and North Peaks, secretly listening nearby, were also puzzled. What treasure?

They didn’t know about any treasure!

Everyone knew that the South and North Peaks were where the outer disciples were located.

Since they housed a group of outer disciples not valued by the sect, the South and North Peak leaders were also among the least important.

They weren’t as powerful as the Law Enforcement Hall master, didn’t have the Sect Leader’s favor like the Beast Peak Leader, and didn’t contribute like the Pill Peak Leader.

Over the years, very few disciples had even seen them.

In fact, many disciples didn’t even know who the South and North Peak leaders were.

Wenxin Sect had twelve main peaks and twenty-four subsidiary peaks.

There were thirty-six peak leaders in total.

The South and North Peak leaders were the lowest-ranking among the thirty-six.

In recent years, they had lost their fighting spirit and rarely left their caves. If it weren’t for Ning Xu’s appearance among the outer disciples, they would probably still be in their caves in seclusion.

The South and North Peaks were known for being barren.

A peak housing outer disciples was bound to be a poor peak.

Rich in spiritual energy and spiritual plants, the good peaks had long been claimed by other peak leaders. What remained was the most ordinary of peaks.

But now, what was the Melon-Eating System saying?!

The South and North Peaks, the most barren and impoverished, had a treasure?

What treasure was it?

At this moment, Ning Xu glanced at the sky outside and said, “There are still one or two hours left; it should be dark soon.”

The Melon-Eating System eagerly said, 【Don’t rush. Wait until midnight.】

【The treasure can only be taken out at midnight.】

“Alright!”

Night arrived as expected.

At this time, the outer sect disciples were either meditating in their rooms or studying cultivation techniques, each busy with their own tasks. Outside, there were no signs of anyone, and the silence was only broken by the calls of insects and animals.

Under the Melon-Eating System’s guidance, Ning Xu cautiously made her way to the back of the small grass hut.

At this point, there were still half an hour left until midnight.

According to the Melon-Eating System, she could reach the place where the treasure was buried in twenty minutes, then wait for ten minutes, and after that, she could start digging.

Ning Xu moved slowly, guided by the faint moonlight, stumbling and stopping like a blind person feeling her way. After twenty minutes, she barely managed to reach her destination. Even though the system was guiding her, she stepped into many pitfalls along the way and got scratched by the branches of ancient trees.

Fortunately, the result was good.

At this moment, she was standing on the damp soil by the riverbank. The bank was overgrown with reeds. As soon as she stepped into the reeds, her entire figure was completely concealed by them.

“Is this the place?”

【Yes.】

【Now, just be patient and wait.】

“Okay!”

Eight minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

When there were only two minutes left until midnight, the Melon-Eating System’s tone became unexpectedly serious, saying, 【Get ready to dig!】

“Okay!”

Even though Ning Xu was only at the second level of Qi Refining, she had already gained enough experience to dig by hand. Although she had not formally learned any techniques, digging was no longer a problem for her.

Who could have imagined that the first thing she would do as a cultivator was to dig?!

She dug while following the Melon-Eating System’s instructions.

【Dig slower.】

【Be gentler.】

【Midnight is almost here.】

【It’s now!】

【Quick, take it out!】

Without thinking, Ning Xu directly dug up the object buried in the earth.

As soon as the treasure was unearthed, the dimly lit reed patch seemed to brighten slightly. Fortunately, the light wasn’t too conspicuous, so it wouldn’t be easily noticed.

After retrieving the item, Ning Xu finally realized that what the Melon-Eating System had her retrieve was a mirror.

The Melon-Eating System explained, 【This is the Yin-Yang Mirror. The Dao is divided into Yin and Yang, and Qi also has its Yin and Yang. Below here is buried the skeleton of a demon beast from the Nascent Soul stage, which has bred Yin Qi. This Yin Qi has provided nutrients to the Yin-Yang Mirror. Without this Yin Qi, the Yin-Yang Mirror would have been useless long ago.】

Ning Xu didn’t quite understand the Yin-Yang Mirror, but after hearing the Melon-Eating System’s explanation, she understood much more. She suddenly realized, “Midnight is the point where Yin and Yang energies converge, so that’s why you said it can only be taken out at midnight?”

The Melon-Eating System praised her, 【Yes.】

After that, the Melon-Eating System’s tone shifted, 【This Yin-Yang Mirror already has cracks.】

Upon hearing this, Ning Xu took a closer look and indeed saw that the surface of the mirror had several cracks, one of which even ran through the entire surface.

The Melon-Eating System lamented, 【This Yin-Yang Mirror was originally considered a semi-immortal artifact. It was the life spirit tool of a great cultivator at the Mahayana stage. But now, due to the damage, it can barely be considered a low-grade spiritual tool.】

The ranking of artifact quality in this world is as follows:

Low, middle, and high-grade spiritual treasures, low, middle, and high-grade magical treasures, low, middle, and high-grade artifacts, low, middle, and high-grade spiritual tools, semi-immortal artifacts, and immortal artifacts.

Of course, there are also the legendary divine artifacts and Dao tools.

Both divine artifacts and Dao tools are only known by name, and their true forms are never seen.

However, the Melon-Eating System only lamented for a few seconds before casually saying, 【The Yin-Yang Mirror isn’t useful to you right now. Moreover, it has already fallen in grade and is severely damaged, so it’s almost impossible for it to evolve into an immortal artifact. It doesn’t suit us.】

Ning Xu, “???”

“Not necessarily.”

The Melon-Eating System said seriously, 【It does.】

The Elders: We’ve grown tired of hearing the word “envy,” honestly, it’s getting old.

Even if it has fallen to a low-grade spiritual tool, it would still rank highly among spiritual tools in this world.

If it were still a semi-immortal artifact, even the entire Wenxin Sect couldn’t protect it!

So, low-grade spiritual tools are just fine!

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue.

【This mirror can only be fully utilized by soul cultivators.】

【Coincidentally, the Peak Master of North and South Peaks is a soul cultivator.】

【We’ve at least made a connection with North and South Peaks, so building a good relationship with the Peak Master will never be a mistake.】

Ning Xu understood what was going on after hearing this.

Meanwhile, the Peak Master of North and South Peaks was so excited he could barely speak.

This meant the Yin-Yang Mirror was going to be given to him?

The other Peak Masters looked on enviously.

Soul cultivator?

Which Peak Master doesn’t practice multiple Dao paths?

Aside from the Peak Master of North and South Peaks, several other soul cultivators were present among the cultivators here!

But the Melon-Eating System only mentioned the Peak Master of North and South Peaks!

The most marginal, least valued North and South Peaks, is it about to rise?!

After hearing the Melon-Eating System’s words, Ning Xu slowly said, “So, your suggestion is…”

【My suggestion is that you can use this Yin-Yang Mirror to exchange for a large amount of spirit stones and sect contribution points from the Peak Master of North and South Peaks. The sect contribution points can be exchanged for high-grade beast food that Brother Pig needs.】

Ning Xu hesitated a little, “The Peak Master of North and South Peaks, he…”

The Melon-Eating System casually said, 【Don’t worry, although he’s been a bit down recently, not doing much, lacking ambition, being excluded by his fellow sect members, and likes to look at fire avoidance charts, his character is still trustworthy.】

【He might ask you how you got the Yin-Yang Mirror.】

【Just tell him the truth. He won’t press the issue.】

【Every disciple has their own opportunities. What’s wrong with you getting a Yin-Yang Mirror?】

The Peak Master of North and South Peaks, who was named in front of everyone:…

The disciples who had eaten enough melon: Wait, wait, something strange just slipped through.

Ah, this, this…

Is it really okay for them to know that he likes to look at fire avoidance charts? How can they face the Peak Master of North and South Peaks again after this?!

—

Note:

The Fire-avoiding Diagram is a pattern pasted on the main beams of ancient Chinese houses to prevent fires. It is also known as the Spring Palace Diagram, Box Bottom Painting, or Painting Behind the Door. The diagram features both explicit and implicit characteristics. Additionally, it is strictly prohibited for youths and children to come into contact with the painting to prevent negative influences, which is also a characteristic of secretive erotic paintings.