"Dawn has broken, stop dreaming," Bai Chen retorted after a stunned silence. "Even if the Sect Master of Tian Jian Sect is the only Nascent Soul stage cultivator on Cang Xuan Continent, he wouldn't dare claim to be its ruler. Where do you get your courage?"
"He may not have the courage, but that doesn't mean I don't," Xiao Man declared, pointing to the sky. "One day, I, Xiao Qin, will become a Nascent Soul stage cultivator and the ruler of this Cang Xuan Continent!"
Rumble! A clap of thunder shook the sky, making Bai Chen tremble. Xiao Man gazed upwards, gave a thumbs-up, and then slowly pointed downwards, seemingly mocking the heavens.
He's mad, this person must be mad!
"Xiao Qin, disrespecting the heavens..."
"Which eye of yours saw me disrespecting the heavens?" Xiao Man retracted her hand and glanced at Bai Chen. "From today onwards, you are responsible for three meals a day."
"And what about you?"
"I'm responsible for watching you," Xiao Man stated matter-of-factly. "Your master sent you to Dong Yue Forest for training, and I'm merely your guard. Unless your life is in danger, I will never intervene."
"Release my true qi."
"It's already released," Xiao Man said casually. "Don't think that with your true qi restored, you'll be my match. I have many tricks up my sleeve. Otherwise, how could I have killed a Golden Core stage cultivator? Do you think you can compare to a Golden Core stage cultivator?"
Bai Chen opened and closed his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. After all, he had witnessed Xiao Man kill a Golden Core stage cultivator with his own eyes. If Xiao Man wanted to kill him, it would be effortless. They were both at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he was even a rank higher than Xiao Man, so why was the gap so vast?
"What kind of monstrous being are you? How can you kill someone across such a vast cultivation difference?"
"I'm just an ordinary person. As for killing across realms, it doesn't use cultivation, but brains." Xiao Man tapped her head. "So, here, you need to use your brain more."
"I think you're insulting me."
"Clever. You can even tell I'm insulting you, which means you're not entirely hopeless," Xiao Man smiled. "However, I hope you can make some progress before the Seven Sects Hunting Day arrives. Otherwise, you won't be participating in the Seven Sects Hunting Day either."
"I will definitely make you see me in a new light."
"Then I shall wait and see." Xiao Man glanced in a certain direction and then leaped onto a tree, leaving Bai Chen bewildered.
"Why are you climbing a tree?"
"To watch the show." Xiao Man sat on the tree. A Golden Brown Thunder Leopard rapidly approached their location. Bai Chen felt a powerful aura approaching from behind and immediately drew his weapon in defense. However, before he could strike, the leopard attacked. A lightning strike from the leopard directly hit his body.
Bai Chen felt his entire body stiffen, unable to move. The leopard was incredibly fast, and in a flash, it was before him. Just as he was about to be torn apart, Xiao Man suddenly appeared before him and punched the leopard's jaw, sending it somersaulting and crashing far away. It roared in anger as it got back up.
Xiao Man kicked Bai Chen's rear. Bai Chen finally regained sensation and scrambled to his feet. "This Thunder Leopard is incredibly fast. If I'm hit by its lightning strike, my body will go numb and I won't be able to move. I can't beat it!"
"Useless!" Xiao Man glared coldly at Bai Chen. "You've already admitted defeat before the fight has even begun. I say you might as well have crawled between the legs of that Cang Lang Sect disciple and called yourself a coward, so as not to drag me down."
Bai Chen glared fiercely at Xiao Man. "The Thunder Leopard is a high-level demonic beast..."
"What? Is my cultivation higher than yours, or is my equipment superior?" Xiao Man asked in a soft voice. "Even I don't fear the Thunder Leopard's attack, yet you surrender. How about this? Why don't you crawl between my legs and declare yourself a delivery person who can't cut it? Then I'll send you back to Qian Ji Sect to continue being your pampered Senior Disciple."
"You... you, you are despicable and shameless, bullying me too much!" Bai Chen was so angry he could have exploded. He knew Xiao Man had a bad temper, but he hadn't expected her to be so shameless as to demand he crawl between her legs!
"I'll ask you one thing: will you fight or not?"
"I'll fight! So what if it's a Thunder Leopard? So what if I die? I'm not afraid!" Bai Chen gritted his teeth. "Xiao Qin, I will prove to you that I, Bai Chen, am by no means a coward!"
"I'll be waiting!"
Xiao Man looked at the Thunder Leopard, her expression serene. The leopard took a couple of steps back, pawing the ground, contemplating whether to attack or flee. It wanted to flee, but the pride of a king forbade it.
Xiao Man saw hesitation in the leopard's eyes. She stepped forward, and the leopard actually retreated several steps, widening the distance between them.
"I know you can understand me. Fight him for practice, but don't kill him. Everything else is up to you. Of course, there's a reward." Xiao Man produced a bottle of pills. "This is a bottle of Breaking Yuan Pills, which will help you advance. Deal?"
"Breaking Yuan Pills!" Bai Chen's voice cracked. To use a bottle of Breaking Yuan Pills to have a high-level Thunder Leopard spar with him, who was the true extravagant prodigal?
The Thunder Leopard seemed to understand Xiao Man's words. It immediately stepped forward, looking at the Breaking Yuan Pills in Xiao Man's hand with eagerness. Xiao Man poured out a pill and tossed it to the leopard, which caught it in its mouth and swallowed it. Its eyes gleamed with pleasure, and it nodded at Xiao Man.
Xiao Man then walked to the side, found a tree, and lay down to sleep.
Bai Chen's expression flickered for a moment. Before he could react, the leopard's attack arrived. It was so sudden, he had no defense whatsoever and was knocked to the ground. The infuriating thing was that while he was immobilized, the leopard simply stepped on him and zapped him for fun.
Bai Chen's eyes rolled back from the electric shocks. Xiao Man pretended not to see, her eyes closed. The Thunder Leopard constantly watched Xiao Man's movements. This human's cultivation didn't seem high, yet she made it feel immense pressure, a suppressive feeling that came from its very bloodline, preventing it from daring to resist.
Unable to withstand the electric shocks, Bai Chen seized an opportunity when his body recovered slightly, breaking free from the leopard's electrical assault and quickly putting distance between them. However, simply creating distance wasn't enough. The leopard was fast and excelled at long-range attacks. Before he could escape far, another lightning strike arrived.
Xiao Man opened her eyes and glanced at Bai Chen, who was being chased and beaten by the Thunder Leopard, as if she saw nothing. Bai Chen had been stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage for a long time. The disciples from his sect, when sparring with him, didn't dare to go all out. Furthermore, the disciples of Qian Ji Sect were most skilled in mechanisms and talismans, not so much in cultivation. They didn't realize that no matter how powerful a magical treasure was, without sufficient cultivation to support it, its true power could not be unleashed. Forging high-level magical treasures also required a solid foundation of cultivation.