"You mean, we recognized a demon as our Divine Master?" A Si's voice was full of disbelief. The god they had respectfully feared for so many years was actually a demon. Wasn't that too ironic?
"Don't believe me?" Xiao Man looked at the corpses on the ground. "Haven't you already seen it with your own eyes? You also heard them admit it. They are indeed demons."
"How did you know?"
"Foolish, didn't I tell you? She is the true divine race," Taotie said grumpily.
"You are the Divine Master?" Jiang Lan nodded thoughtfully. No wonder you could feed medicinal pills to your contract beasts like candy. Only a Divine Master would have such capabilities.
"I am just an ordinary person like you," Xiao Man said calmly. "The so-called Divine Master is merely a human who has cultivated to the peak. Anyone can become a god. I can, and so can you. Or are you willing to let the demon race continue to trample on you and treat you like livestock?"
"We don't want to!"
"You know your talents are one in ten thousand. Why is it that after entering the sacred land of the divine race, you are stuck at the Nascent Soul stage?" Xiao Man was not in a hurry to tell these people her purpose. What she wanted was to make them understand that by continuing to follow the Heavenly Demon Race, they had no way out!
"Why?"
"Because the rich spiritual energy in the inner and outer cities will help you cultivate rapidly, but it will make your foundation unstable. Without a stable foundation, how can you break through to higher realms?" Xiao Man explained. "You must know that every realm requires steady progress and preparation for the next. But in such dense spiritual energy, you advance rapidly without proper tempering. Therefore, at the same level, you are no match for the demon race."
Jiang Lan swallowed unconsciously, realizing that everything Xiao Man said was true. In the outside world, it would take a normal person a hundred years or more to go from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul. Yet, they could reach the Nascent Soul stage in just ten years, only to be stuck there, unable to advance further.
"Are we really doomed to stop here?"
"No, you still have a chance," Xiao Man said calmly, looking at Jiang Lan. "Haven't you already broken through the bottleneck and advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage? Others can too."
"Junior Brother Nangong, oh no, Boss Nangong, do you mean I can also advance to the Spirit Transformation stage?" Ah Si asked excitedly. He had dreamed of reaching the Spirit Transformation stage, but no matter how hard he cultivated, he couldn't touch the barrier of the Spirit Transformation stage.
"Of course, you can."
"By what method?"
"Your foundation is too weak," Xiao Man said slowly. "From now on, don't just absorb spiritual energy. You need to temper your bodies."
"Temper our bodies?" The crowd looked puzzled. "How do we temper them?"
"Don't worry, you'll have someone to spar with." Xiao Man summoned Huo Wu and Zhu Qing. Jiang Lan's eyes widened when he saw that Xiao Man not only had Taotie but also a divine beast like the phoenix beside her.
"Master, why did you call me out?"
"They are for you to practice on," Xiao Man pointed at the people below. "As long as you don't kill them, you can do whatever you want."
Huo Wu's face lit up with excitement, and she immediately charged into the crowd of Jiang Lan. Before Jiang Lan could react, Huo Wu stomped him into the ground. The ten people were instantly wiped out.
"Weak, too weak, simply frail and weak," Xiao Man lamented, shaking her head. "The people outside who are poisoned are more resilient than you."
"Master, they are as weak as chicks and are no match for me!" Huo Wu complained. The moment she made a move, these people were all down. She couldn't even have fun.
Xiao Man lowered her eyes and thought carefully. "Huo Wu, come back. You might be too powerful for them right now. Let's try someone else. Zhu Qing, you spar with them."
"Can I use poison?"
"Are you going to use poison on these few weaklings?" Xiao Man retorted. "Don't say you're my contract beast when you go out."
Zhu Qing transformed into human form, wearing a sky-blue water-colored long robe, looking dashing. He even brushed his bangs, "Master, am I handsome?"
Huo Wu kicked Zhu Qing into the crowd of Jiang Lan. "Go on, hit his face. If you win, each of you gets a bottle of pills. If you lose, each of you gets a bottle of poison. It's up to you!"
Jiang Lan and the others were about to cry out in misery, but upon hearing that they would each get a bottle of pills if they won, they completely ignored the latter half of the sentence. They all swarmed forward, burying Zhu Qing at the bottom, fighting for the pills!
As evening approached, the setting sun was like blood.
Jiang Lan and the others, supporting each other, stumbled into the outer city. Su Dan Novel Network.
Many people in the outer city recognized Jiang Lan and his companions. Even though they were humans, they were residents of the inner city, unlike those in the outer city.
"What happened to Jiang Lan?"
"He was probably beaten up by some clan again," someone said gleefully. Humans were often bullied here. Whether in the outer city or the inner city, humans were the lowest existence, constantly bullied and abused by the Heavenly Demon Race.
"Who is so powerful to have beaten Jiang Lan this badly?"
"I don't know. I guess someone will come out soon to tell us who beat them up like this."
Jiang Lan and his group returned to Zhongzhou Street and fell asleep. They were too exhausted. They had thought they couldn't defeat Taotie, but at least they could spar with Huo Wu. To their surprise, they couldn't even touch Huo Wu's clothes. In the end, even when fighting the weakest Zhu Qing, they were still defeated. And Zhu Qing hadn't even used poison!
The people outside were discussing how Jiang Lan and his group from Zhongzhou Street had gone out and returned beaten like pigs. They thought the people of Zhongzhou Street would be afraid to go out for several days. Who knew that for several consecutive days, Jiang Lan would lead a team out each time. They would leave with fierce determination, as if going for revenge, causing people in the inner city to set up betting rings, wagering whether Jiang Lan and his group could get revenge.
Then, every evening, Jiang Lan and his group would return, still covered in injuries, with bruised and swollen faces, their clothes tattered, looking as if they had been ravaged and bullied. This made everyone laugh uncontrollably.
"Jiang Lan, what happened to you guys?" A man with blue hair and blue eyes blocked their path and poked Jiang Lan's face. Jiang Lan gasped in pain.
"Lan Hai, what do you want?"
"What do I want? I'm just curious. Who beat you up like this?" Lan Hai circled around them. "You brought so many people out, and you were still beaten like this. Useless."
Jiang Lan lowered his gaze, remaining silent. He wanted to get around Lan Hai, but Lan Hai refused to yield. He pushed Jiang Lan aside. "Jiang Lan, with your current injured state, you dare to challenge me? I think you don't want to live anymore."