Ji Shiyu lifted her foot and lightly kicked Yun Liu’s forehead, her cheeks puffing up like steamed buns as she said angrily: “No! It’s! Not!”
Yun Liu quickly realized the girl was throwing a little tantrum.
“Then what exactly is different? If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?”
He shook his head in confusion, already knowing the answer but deliberately making her say it herself, quietly watching the silly girl’s adorable show-off act.
Ji Shiyu’s lively big eyes sparkled as she spun around in place, quickly coming up with a counterattack.
“I’m kidding. Nothing’s changed. I just wanted you to look at me a little longer.”
There it was—the long-lost signature cheesy pick-up line from the little yellow-haired girl.
“…”
Yun Liu was stunned for a moment, then tapped her forehead with his hand, holding back a laugh.
“Alright, alright. I get it. You’ve formed your Golden Core. No need to announce it to the whole world. Congratulations, Little Fairy Shiyu.”
“Hehe.”
Ji Shiyu covered her forehead, unable to contain her joy, making even Ao Tian dazzled.
‘Has nothing really changed? Your twisted filial piety is practically overflowing. The stench is too strong—I can smell it from miles away! What a disaster…’
After resting, everyone went downstairs one after another. Except for the injured little Aunt Master, everyone was fully recovered.
The appearance of the Heaven-Grade Spirit Herb caused quite a stir. The gazes of the guests in the pavilion toward their table burned especially hot, instantly identifying the two who had broken through their cultivation.
This time, Yun Liu had nothing to hide. He was fielding their strongest lineup, all at the Golden Core Middle Stage on average, ready to bulldoze through the second main chapter.
Kill gods blocking the path, slay Buddhas standing in the way!
Ji Shiyu stared blankly at a plate of green seaweed, frowning just as deeply as Ao Tian.
‘Is this what Ji—chicken—eats? It’s not even dry rations.’
“Is this my reward for forming my Golden Core?”
Yun Liu scolded with a smile:
“Think forming a Golden Core is a big deal? Want me to embroider a big red flower and pin it on your chest?”
“That’s not a bad idea…”
“It’s not that forming a Golden Core isn’t a big deal. But this is way too shabby. What’s the difference between this and sucking on a Spirit Stone?”
Ji Shiyu looked at her teacher with pitiful eyes, hoping for some other supplies, like the sweet desserts and love-filled bento he made himself.
She’d slept for a whole day and night. In her dreams, her stomach was nearly bursting, but when she woke up, it was growling.
‘So hungry. I want to freeload off Teacher’s cooking!’
There were desserts, alright—right in front of her sat a cream puff.
Qin Xiang’s Spirit Breath was full, her Divine Soul upright, but her increasingly beautiful face couldn’t hide the exhaustion.
Losing wasn’t scary. What was scary was not seeing any hope of turning things around, being suppressed from start to finish.
“This is a special spiritual ingredient unique to the Great Whirlpool. I picked it myself. If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it myself.”
“I want it! I want it!”
Ji Shiyu clenched her teeth, pinched her nose, and downed it in one gulp.
‘I thought there’d be good food in the Outermost Sea. Every day it’s the same stuff. What kind of hardship prison is Fish Belly staying in?’
Yu Shen Yinglian rubbed her eyes and said after a long pause:
“Congratulations to Senior Sister Qin on breaking through. Is this the composure of a Chief Disciple? A Lian has learned.”
Qin Xiang smiled.
“Yinglian’s Divine Sense is very sharp.”
Ji Shiyu pointed at herself, puffing out her chest proudly, eager for more praise.
“What about me, Aunt Master? Give me a compliment too!”
To be fair, she was the first-place winner of the Yanding Sword Contest at the Sect Grand Competition, a peerless genius beautiful girl sword cultivator who had skipped levels to break through to Golden Core Stage 3!
“Hello, Yellow Hair. Goodbye, Yellow Hair.”
“…”
A Lian looked at her expressionlessly, once again sending the yellow-haired girl back in defeat.
As for Yan Bingling, the elder had no time left to guard against these fox spirits of various hair colors.
A new formidable rival had already appeared!
The two little Aunt Masters stared intently, seeing only “themselves” in their eyes.
But one was protecting her pregnancy, while the other was guarding against the other making a move on her beloved disciple. Both were glaring at each other.
In short, they had to retrieve the sword case first.
Yan Bingling crooked her finger.
“Ah Lian, come here, to your master’s side!”
“Oh!”
How could the demon-fallen foster mother let the surrogate tool succeed?
Yinglian obediently hugged the sword case and trotted over, but was stopped halfway.
“Who allowed you to go over there? Come back!”
“Huh?”
The little pink-haired girl was torn, running back and forth.
“B-Big Senior Sister-in-Law?”
“Rebellious disciple, won’t you even listen to your master’s words?”
“Don’t forget who saved you. Listen to your Senior Sister-in-Law!”
Yan Bingling’s breath caught instantly.
‘What kind of wolves’ words are these!’
Luckily, Qin Xiang blushed and quickly covered Ji Shiyu’s ears. The child must not be polluted by the strange sect.
The ambition of the Senior Sister of Celestial Phenomena Peak still had a long way to go.
Yun Liu chuckled helplessly, then called out:
“Don’t mind them. Come here.”
Yu Shen Yinglian was at a loss, spinning in place, already dizzy.
The little girl finally crouched down with her hands over her head, pitifully hiding behind the deity.
During this time, the cultivators from the Sea-Severing Alliance and Chain Docks were bitterly disappointed.
Buying tickets early was useless.
The Kunpeng had awakened, the Great Whirlpool had opened ahead of schedule, but the Sea Market had not arrived as promised.
Before the restrictions on Mirage City were lifted, cultivators who approached recklessly would only be torn apart by the turbulent flows.
Seeing the gathering experts grow more numerous, Fortress Master Wu and Fang Laozu were not in a good mood either.
After all, they had cleared the path overnight, becoming cannon fodder, losing so many good hands in the face of the strange beast’s heavenly might, yet gaining no advantage.
Ji Shiyu tugged at Yun Liu’s sleeve, pulling her teacher’s gaze away from the little Aunt Master.
“Chew, chew… I heard Mirage City is a big maze. Don’t we need to scout it out? I saw those pirates go, and that Big Sister Hong of yours.”
“Oh, you did your homework? Progress.”
Yun Liu patted the little yellow-haired girl’s head and praised her, just as he was wondering how to explain.
Ji Shiyu was smug, having regained her Fortune compensation, now even sharper and smarter.
“Hehe.”
Mirage City was the Kunpeng’s sleeping nest, originally a relic of an ancient divine being, filled with rare treasures and abundant celestial materials.
Over the millennia, the strange treasures that had leaked out were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Only when the owner woke up and went for a stroll did everyone get a chance to sneak in and explore.
The cultivators from the Five Islands on land and the aquatic demons from the seabed were all here for this.
But the secret key to opening Mirage City was in the hands of the Merfolk race.
Legend said that Qiongxiao Palace possessed a clan-guarding Storm Vase that could weaken the turbulent flows around the maze.
The Master of Boundless Pavilion never took risks himself, but he was willing to buy back Mirage treasures at a high price.
Thus the Sea Market came into being, becoming a tradition of the Great Whirlpool over thousands of years.
Cultivators from all over the Nine Provinces traded here.
Any secret treasure obtained from Mirage City could be sold here, and keeping it was also allowed.
Whether one could leave the Great Whirlpool alive with their opportunity depended on their own skill.
Since they had come, following the father-daughter’s policy of “take everything,” they couldn’t leave empty-handed.
Qin Xiang said softly:
“Mirage City is a moving maze, ever-changing, with numerous restrictions. Wandering around the outskirts is useless. Only when you actually go inside will you know the situation.”
“I see.”
Ji Shiyu wrinkled her little nose.
‘So it’s all about luck.’
When it came to luck, she wouldn’t lose.
Yun Liu nodded with a smile, but he wasn’t sure if this ruin map would still match the strategy guide.
Senior Sister Qin was an old hand at jianghu. Although she hadn’t experienced it herself, she had learned many secrets from Gelan.
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