"Why is this weird uncle naked and gnawing on a piece of wood?" In the Dream Realm, Li Xiaoyin watched the water mirror for a long time before finally asking with sincere curiosity.
"Pfft!"
"Haha!"
The group gathered around the water mirror by the lakeside couldn't help themselves; they burst into boisterous laughter at Li Xiaoyin's words.
"Oh, my stomach... that weird uncle!" Dongfang Jing collapsed onto the ground, laughing so hard he abandoned all semblance of decorum.
A smile flickered across Li Lin’s cold, stern face, but the moment he remembered that the loathsome Feng Chi was thinking of his mother, he felt a sudden urge to step forward and trample the man ten thousand times over.
Yu Ming clutched her stomach. "That weird uncle has a strange habit of gnawing on wood. Xiaoyin, you must stay far away from him in the future. Otherwise, he might mistake you for a piece of wood and start gnawing on you too!"
Li Xiaoyin curled her lip. "If he dares try to gnaw on me, I’ll turn into a wooden spike and let him have at it!"
"Hahaha, Xiaoyin is right! If he dares to harbor designs on me again, Yunxi, you turn into a wooden spike next time and let him gnaw away!" Li Xue said with a devious glint in her eyes.
"The Cloud Crane Messenger’s secret technique is truly extraordinary! Now the Mistress never has to fear that wicked Soul Transformation cultivator again," Hei Yan praised.
"Hmph, the likes of him coveting the Mistress? He overestimates himself," Yunxi said, her lip curling in disdain.
This water mirror was one of Yunxi’s secret arts. Having cultivated for over a hundred thousand years, Yunxi had long reached the eighth rank, equivalent to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. However, because Dongfang Jing was only in the mid-stage of Core Formation, the power Yunxi could exert was limited to the late Nascent Soul stage. Nevertheless, secret arts were different; as long as one's realm of comprehension was high enough, they could be performed.
"The Cloud Crane Messenger’s 'Shifting Positions and Changing Forms' technique is truly seamless. Sister Yunxi, you are amazing!" Chi Ze also clicked his tongue in admiration.
Li Xue frowned slightly. *Shifting Positions and Changing Forms* sounded a bit plain. "Such a brilliant secret technique deserves a better name. From now on, let’s call it 'Stealing the Stars and Changing the Moon.'"
"Yes, Mistress!" Yunxi nodded without hesitation. From that day forward, the secret technique of the Cloud Crane Messenger—one of the nine Great Divine Guards of the God Realm—was renamed from *Shifting Positions and Changing Forms* to *Stealing the Stars and Changing the Moon*. Even if the others or the spirit beasts thought the name sounded a bit odd, none of them dared to say it aloud.
"Won't Divine Lord Feng Chi fly into a rage out of humiliation?" Bai Xingyu asked with some concern.
"That’s a certainty. I’m wondering if we do this a few more times, will he end up impotent from the trauma?" Li Xue said wickedly.
The men standing nearby couldn't help but shuffle a few steps away, putting some distance between themselves and Li Xue. This woman’s thoughts were far too vicious; it was better to stay on her good side.
"With Wandering Immortal Bugui here, he won't dare do anything to us. Once the Dharma Arts Conference is over, we’ll go into secluded cultivation and let him search all he wants," Ji Rufeng suggested.
"I’m going into death-seclusion! I must strive to reach the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible so that Yunxi can reach the Soul Transformation stage. Then we won't have to fear that wicked cultivator anymore!" Dongfang Jing vowed, pumping his right fist.
"Hmph, we don't need to fear him even now. If he dares to harass the Mistress again, I have plenty of ways to ensure he becomes impotent for the rest of his life," Yunxi said, her beautiful face solemn and her voice chillingly cold.
Li Xue and Bai Xingyu nodded in agreement. This was exactly how one should deal with such a lecherous male cultivator. The other men sighed inwardly, thinking that one must never offend a woman, regardless of their race, lest their lifelong happiness be ruined.
***
In Wandering Immortal Bugui’s courtyard, Feng Chi sat with a dark expression, his body radiating a frigid aura.
"Ahahaha!" Wandering Immortal Bugui was rolling on the floor laughing. Gasping for breath, he wheezed, "I told you... what did I tell you? I told you to stop chasing that girl. That girl even managed to subdue the Black Wolf King of the Black Wolf Clan! You... you’re just asking for trouble! Ha! Ha! This is killing me!"
"Hmph. Tell me, who is behind this? Even I was deceived. Could it be that there is a Tribulation Transcendence Grandmaster backing them?" The more Feng Chi thought about it, the colder his heart became. Although his own grand-uncle was also at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, the old man was currently in death-seclusion. If he provoked a Tribulation Transcendence Grandmaster now, he would have no one to back him up. It seemed he had no choice but to cease his activities.
Bugui’s eyes flickered. He thought to himself that since the girl even possessed a spirit body, it was entirely possible she had a few secret techniques unknown to the cultivation world. If Feng Chi wanted to believe that, all the better; it would save a lot of trouble later.
Thus, he said, "While I’m not entirely clear on the specifics of the Jade Mysterious Sect, my disciple is a once-in-ten-thousand-years alchemy genius. It’s not impossible that the Jade Mysterious Sect’s Ancestor holds him in high regard."
Feng Chi nodded. In the cultivation world, one could never be too sure about such things, and no one dared to test their luck. In this world, a lack of caution could cost one's life.
***
Li Xue was very happy. Finally, Feng Chi had stopped hounding her, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
At the auction, Li Xue and her group sat in a VIP room on the second floor, watching the super-sized auction with great interest. They were only able to be in the VIP room by riding on the coattails of Wandering Immortal Bugui. Otherwise, with their mere Core Formation cultivation, they wouldn't even have a seat; even the vast majority of those standing in the main hall below were Nascent Soul cultivators, aside from the auction house staff.
Li Xue and Li Lin had put the materials they had collected, along with some ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs, up for auction, intending to make a fortune.
The high-grade materials for the Five Elements Flying Shuttle were now complete. After the Dharma Arts Conference, Wandering Immortal Bugui would personally help refine it. The Jade Mysterious Sect already possessed the materials for the Primordial Spirit Pill; if they couldn't find more here, they could exchange for them within the sect. However, materials for the Soul Transformation Pill were extremely rare and expensive. It was said that the rewards for this Dharma Arts Conference included a Soul Transformation Pill. Li Yuhong and Bai Ruihua were currently sharpening their skills, eager to try. With their late Nascent Soul strength, it shouldn't be difficult to secure a ranking, though whether they could actually win the pill was hard to say.
On the auction stage, a Nascent Soul cultivator was talking incessantly about a magic treasure. Li Xue’s group had no interest in magic treasures and didn't pay much attention. Instead, they gathered around Li Yuhong and Bai Ruihua, listening to the exciting stories of their travels; the two had arrived at Planet Yuanshi only two days prior.
Divine Lord Feng Chi sat beside Wandering Immortal Bugui. Given his strength, he actually had his own VIP room, but he insisted on sticking close to Li Xue’s group. Although he was no longer harassing her, his dark, occasionally resentful gaze made Li Xue feel a chill down her spine. This only strengthened her resolve to return to the Dream Realm for secluded cultivation immediately after the conference to thoroughly extinguish Feng Chi’s lingering hopes.
As Li Xue was thinking, Feng Chi suddenly moved to sit beside her. His gaze was tender as he took a jade box from his storage ring and placed it on the table in front of her.
Li Xue was startled. Seeing that he only produced a box and did nothing else, she relaxed slightly but looked at the jade box with suspicion. "Senior, what is this?"
"Primordial Spirit Grass," Divine Lord Feng Chi said softly.
Li Xue’s eyes widened. She was exactly in need of Primordial Spirit Grass and hadn't expected Feng Chi to have any. However, she frowned slightly and asked, "Is this for an exchange?"
She had no intention of taking his things for free, lest she become entangled with him further.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 偷星换月 | Stealing the Stars and Changing the Moon | The new name Li Xue gives to Yunxi's secret technique. |
| 移位换形 | Shifting Positions and Changing Forms | The original name of the Cloud Crane Messenger's technique. |
| 云鹤使 | Cloud Crane Messenger | One of the nine Great Divine Guards of the God Realm. |
| 元神草 | Primordial Spirit Grass | A rare medicinal herb used for the soul. |
| 元神丹 | Primordial Spirit Pill | A pill used to nourish or repair the primordial spirit. |
| 化神丹 | Soul Transformation Pill | A pill used to assist in breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage. |
| 五行飞梭 | Five Elements Flying Shuttle | A high-grade magical transport vessel. |
| 玉玄门 | Jade Mysterious Sect | The sect Li Lin and others belong to. |
| 元始星 | Planet Yuanshi | The location of the current events and the Yuanshi Sect. |
| 法术大会 | Dharma Arts Conference | A major competition/gathering for cultivators. |
