Demon activity.
The people that hear the rumors all look down on You XiaoMo. Wanting to become a level three mage from a level two mage in two months? This is obviously a pipe dream!
But You XiaoMo who is in seclusion preparing to breakthrough has no idea. He simply has no idea that he is now the number one on the billboard charts. It’s just that he is on the black chart. This so called billboard charts is really just being the topic of everyone’s gossip.
No matter if it’s on earth or other worlds, humans cannot change their busybody nature. Especially for a group of fellows who spend all their days training. Because cultivating is an incomparably dull and dry road, it increases everyone’s appetite for gossip.
So, every time there is a rustling of grass from the wind, it would spread very fast. This kind of thing doesn’t only happen in TianXin sect. It’s the same thing for the other major sects.
You XiaoMo, as the number one person on the billboard charts, is frequently the subject of envy, jealousy, and hate. So anything that is connected to him will spread especially fast. Although it may not spread to the whole TianXin sect, it would definitely spread throughout Earth Peak.
Just like this matter, no matter who it is that starts it, as long as You XiaoMo’s name is involved, it would definitely be like a level eight and above typhoon. Spreading incomparably swiftly and violently throughout the whole Earth peak.
But all these are not known to You XiaoMo. What he is more clueless about is that a lot of the people who dislike him are waiting eagerly for him to fail. So, having obtained this hard to come by chance, all of them seem to can’t wait to add oil and vinegar, smearing his name.
The reality is really like that. Before, they kept hearing about him doing this and that with Ling Xiao, and then his outstanding performance at the Hall of Mages, although some people start to view him in a new light because of these things, it is easy to get jealous. It’s difficult to change from being a hater to being a fan especially since not everyone is so broad-minded.
So, just as You XiaoMo is in seclusion seeking to have a breakthrough, his situation has already been embellished with oil and vinegar, going through one round of transformation, leading a lot of people to say that he had overestimated his own abilities.
But by the time You XiaoMo comes out of seclusion, the winds of public opinion have already changed directions.
Since the protagonist is not around, it’s too unsatisfying to be not able to say it to his face. On top of that, the thing with the demons happens, so no one talks about his situation anymore.
You XiaoMo has no idea that he had been pushed to where the wind and waves are strongest to toss about for a few days.
After coming out, he hears the news about the demons. It has already been a few months since Ling Xiao and Luo ShuHe led people to lay a siege on the demons’ dark lair. The demons that have quieted down came out again a few days ago to fan the flames of disorder.
Just as the Paradise realm is on the brink of opening, there is news of a surprise attack by the demons. Because it was done in secret, and since everyone’s attention was on the Paradise realm, the level of alertness was not as high as before, resulting in a successful surprise attack.
There were quite a few towns that were attacked. Some from QingCheng sect, some from TianXin sect, even the second class forces were attacked. It is said that even XingLuo group was attacked, causing death and injury to quite a few disciples.
A lot of people are saying that the demons are acting up recently because they are targeting the trip to the Paradise realm.
The Paradise realm is already very big. The instability of it’s barriers may not be just at one site. It must be said that the multitude of treasures in the Paradise realm is also very attractive to demons. So, a month later, the demons would definitely send people into the Paradise realm. This means that the dangers in the Paradise realm would not be limited to the traps and magic beasts found inside. The wave of demons will also be a huge source of hidden danger.
But ——- fifty years ago, the demons definitely did not launch such a large scale attack on humans like they did recently.
These recent movements by the demons, in the eyes of many shrewd people, is certainly because something big is about to happen. As of late, the big thing that is causing the most excitement is the Paradise realm.
Although nobody knows what the demons are aiming for, it definitely has something to do with the Paradise realm. This also means that the danger for this trip to the Paradise realm is doubled.
The result of this deduction causes everyone to be in an uproar. The people who were fighting to go to the Paradise realm suddenly start to hesitate.
If one adds in the demons, this uncertain element, the probability of death would increase greatly. But this is just what a small fraction of cowardly people think. A few shrewder people can smell that something is up.
You XiaoMo is not interested in conspiracy theories. Like what Ling Xiao says, he is someone with a low IQ, unable to take part in conspiracies and the like. If you put him in with a group of smart people, he would the first to be used as cannon fodder. So he is still diligently refining his magic pills, increasing his strength.
Talking about that, it has almost been a month since he last saw Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao was already very busy. With the surprise attack by the demons, he was again sent out by Tang Fan. He probably won’t be able to see him for some time.
This matter is no secret so You XiaoMo finds out easily after asking around. He can only give up on his intention to go find Ling Xiao. But a surprising amount of magic pills are stored up in his magic bag, all refined by him in these two months. Also, the one thousand stalks of magic herbs that Uncle Zhao gave him over two months ago have also all been refined into magic pills by him.
The amount of magic pills is not little, and they are of many different types. Luckily he bought a few hundred jade bottles in advance the last time he went down the mountain. Each jade bottle is filled with ten to twenty magic pills. This way, he uses up about twenty jade bottles. On top of that are those he refined for Ling Xiao and the extras. In one go, he uses up over a hundred.
After listening to the gossip from the disciple next door, You XiaoMo brings twenty jade bottles to the Hall of Enchanted Herbs.
These days, a lot of people are coming in and out of the Hall of Enchanted Herbs. It’s the first time You XiaoMo has to line up to hand over the goods.
But just as he steps inside, a few disciples who were sitting idly at the side suddenly stand up and rush to line up in front of him. Maybe they were lazing about because they didn’t see anyone before then.
You XiaoMo doesn’t care. He is a rather law-abiding person so it is only natural to line up at the back if you come last.
But those disciples clearly don’t think that way. After rushing to stand in front of him, a few of them immediately turn around to look at him smugly, as if to say, I’ve cut in front of you, so how?
You XiaoMo quietly sticks a dumbass label on their foreheads in his heart. Such a pathetic provocation, what kind of reaction do they want? A provocation of this level, it can’t be that he looks like those brainless people that would take the bait?
Seeing You XiaoMo ignore their provocation, sparks of fury flash in the eyes of some of them.
At this moment, someone suddenly walks in the entrance. The moment he sees You XiaoMo, his elegant face lights up. He runs over and smacks You XiaoMo on his shoulder.
“Seventh brother, you’ve finally come out.”
You XiaoMo jumps in shock. Hearing the words Seventh brother, he knows who smacked him. It’s Fifth brother Zhao DaZhou because only Zhao DaZhou would call him Seventh brother. The others would call him Little brother.
Speaking of Zhao DaZhou, now there is no more sign of the awkwardness from when they first became friendly. The relationship between them is even better than that with Fang ChenLe. Sometimes he would purposely run to see him and even consult with him regarding refining magic pills.
Although You XiaoMo feels helpless with regards to his sudden change in attitude, he is still very happy in his heart. Having someone to talk over their experiences related to refining magic pills is definitely better than going it alone. Furthermore, they each get something out of it.
But maybe because the benefits are really too great so Zhao DaZhou really made quite a lot of progress. So every time he sees him, he would pull him excitedly to discuss their experiences.
What the hell, to such an extent that every time he sees him, he would instinctively feel like hiding.
You XiaoMo never knew that a man can also be so chatty. The moment he opens the floodgates, it seems as if he can’t stop. Furthermore, he can talk on and on by himself for one hour without having to take a breather.
Fortunately Zhao DaZhou doesn’t seem to want to discuss experiences this time.
His attention is on the few disciples lining up in front of him but he ignores them. Seeing that he is in line, and the last one at that, he simply pulls him while saying, “Seventh brother, if you line up like this, it would take you at least half and hour or so. Come with me.”
Saying that, he walks away towards the counter.
You XiaoMo pauses for a bit, thinking it over before following him. He doesn’t want to wait for half an hour. Although he has the time, no one dislikes cutting in line. Really!
The moment he walks off, the other people notice him. Especially those few disciples who were just provoking him, each and every one of them with black faces. But if it was someone else, they would also feel very unsatisfied.
Although everyone is unhappy that You XiaoMo ‘jumped queue’, Zhao DaZhou was the one who volunteered to help him. No matter how jealous or how unhappy they are, there is nothing they can do to him.
Because the magic pills and magic herbs are recorded on two different books, Zhao DaZhou waits for his father to pick up the magic herb book before picking up the magic pill book, and records it down for him in no time.
But when he takes the twenty bottles of magic pills that You XiaoMo hands over to him, he can’t help being surprised, blurting out, “Seventh brother, there seems to be three hundred magic pills here. Why are you handing in all of them?”
He has no idea that his father secretly gave him one month extra magic herbs.
The moment he says these words, everyone turns to look at them. Zhao Zhen also just remembers this matter. He didn’t tell his son about this matter, never expecting that it would come out at this critical point.
You XiaoMo clearly also just remembers this matter. Sensing the suspicious looks the others are giving him, he quickly explains, “I didn’t finish using the magic herbs for last month. So I put the amount from both months together to hand in at the same time.”
This reason is very reasonable. Some people will actually do it this way so no one doubts him. Zhao DaZhou also believes his words so he he pours the magic pills from the jade bottles into other jade bottles before handing them back to him.
You XiaoMo is worried that Zhao DaZhou would again let something slip so he finds an excuse to drag him out of the Hall of Enchanted Herbs.
But what has been leaked is already leaked. That is, You XiaoMo’s one hundred percent success rate in refining magic pills. Some people only realize it after leaving the Hall of Enchanted Herbs, leaving them in a state of shock.
Note:
wind and cloud ranks – billboard charts
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I don’t speak Chinese. Corrections welcomed.
Like I mentioned before, I’m clueless about Xianxia. Didn’t even know there’s such a genre so sorry about the weird choice of words. You guys can just substitute them with more appropriate words as you read! I just learned a new word. Cultivation. -_-||