The Golden Cultivator Chen Zixi was mocking and insulting Xiao Feng and his friends the entire ride towards Green Bamboo Valley. Periodically, Chen Zixi would ask Xiao Feng details about the mission or about Yin Na, but for the vast majority of the time spent flying on his spinning top mount it was spent enduring a torrent of verbal abuse.

It couldn’t be helped, all of their clothing and gear was being kept by Chen Zixi while they were naked and shrunk to a tiny size within the Six World Bead necklace on him.

“Well, aren’t you gonna’ thank me next, stinky brat?” Chen Zixi taunted Ying Er. “Your teammates have done their part in sucking up to me, aren’t you going to get on your knees as well?”

Ying Er was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She hated this Chen Zixi with every fiber of her being, but she could not risk offending a Golden Core cultivator, especially one that didn’t appear to be a righteous cultivator at all and could kill her with a fart!

“T-thank you, great master Chen.”

“What’s that?” Chen Zixi sneered. “Louder. Just because you’re the size of a mosquito doesn’t mean you should talk like one.”

“I, Ying Er, thank great master Chen for taking the time of day in accompanying us on our mission to save Master Ji Han.”

Ying Er squeezed back tears in her eyes as she forced the words out of her mouth, fury and embarrassment threatening to light herself up in self-combustion. Xiao Feng and the others who could listen to her within the Six World Bead’s individual realms secretly praised her for her thick-faced iron will!

“Hmph!” Chen Zixi harumphed. “That’s more like it. But what’s the big deal about your ‘master Ji Han,’ anyway?”

Xiao Feng stirred within his realm. Naked and floating within the world of the Realm as if in water, he suddenly tensed up at the mention of his master.

“Feh. Only possessing a mediocre 89% Golden Core. What kind of face does he have left, I bet that twerp thinks he’s hot stuff going around calling himself a ‘pillar disciple of virtue!’”

Xiao Feng wanted to say something before he stopped himself. He realized Chen Zixi had shifted his choice of abuse on him now, and restrained himself before taking the bait.

“Hehehe,” Chen Zixi snickered. “Did I get you there, Xiao Feng?”

Xiao Feng said nothing. He realized that somehow, Chen Zixi was able to see into the Realms with little effort, perhaps through some kind of qi sense.

“I will tell you the honest truth, Xiao Feng. You are a pretty smart kid, and I’m not talking about your reaching Qi Condensation at only 15 years old. However, your master Tian Ji Han is a fool, he is a garbage lout! A nincompoop! A fool with no ability.”

Chen Zixi chuckled menacingly.

“Obviously, your potential is wasted on Tian Ji Han, Xiao Feng. Why don’t you become my disciple instead!”

“What?!” Everyone except Xiao Feng in their realms cried out loud. They could not tell if Chen Zixi was being serious or not.

“Hehehe, it would be your honor, right? To be the disciple of the strongest Golden Core in the sect. With me as your master, I’ll make sure you won’t be lonely paying all your debts to the Heavenly Sword Sect by yourself. Judging by your master’s lack of ability, as well as this demon Yin Na’s alleged surplus of it, by all estimates, Ji Han should have long died by now.”

“No!” Xiao Feng said. “He can’t be, his jade slip was still glowing when we left!”

Chen Zixi laughed.

“Xiao Feng,” he began. “If your master is dead, even if Yin Na was ten paces away from me I will not take any part in avenging Tian Ji Han. In fact, I will leave all of you brats here to crawl back to the sect yourselves. This is because you would not pay me in advance.”

“Even if I wanted to,” said Xiao Feng. “The money is back at the sect, you already signed the agreement with the Task Hall as well. If you don’t succeed, you won’t be paid.”

“Idiot!” Chen Zixi barked, which made Xiao Feng and everyone else recoil within their realms. “If I don’t get paid, that money doesn’t return to you. You’d rather your spirit stones fatten the coffers of the Heavenly Sword Sect elders than give them to Chen Zixi?!”

Chen Zixi white beard shook like a tempest as he began to berate Xiao Feng viciously.

“The same Heavenly Sword Sect which holds you and your master in such disdain? You’d rather let your money go to them instead of someone who could put it to actual use?”

Xiao Feng realized that what Chen Zixi said was true. Before the signing of the contract, there was nothing stopping him just giving out the money he borrowed with the Mission Hall loan, but because he chose the “upon completion” terms, the reward was practically held hostage by the Heavenly Sword Sect, which already profited from the sizable loan Xiao Feng made to post the mission and its reward in the first place.

But still, Xiao Feng had made his gamble, and he could not take his choice back. He trusted his instincts— a man like Chen Zixi could not be given all the bargaining chips, or else regret was the only outcome for those involved!

“I’m sorry, Master Chen.” Xiao Feng gave the same apology he made back at Heavenly Sword Sect when he refused to give the 100,000 spirit stones to Chen Zixi earlier.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Hehehe,” Chen Zixi settled down. “Very well, I trust you will remember your decision.”

Chen Zixi spun the giant top beneath his feet, and teleported ever closer towards Green Bamboo Valley.

At last, the Yellow Fox Sect was visible, even while looking through the surface of the crystal that formed Xiao Feng and his friends’ individual realm beads.

“Master, I am here! Where are you?” Xiao Feng tried to use qi sense within his realm, but he was not skilled in using it to transmit messages, nor was the scope of it wide enough at his stage.

“...” Chen Zixi opened his eyes after using his qi sense. “I don’t sense your master, nor do I sense any other cultivator within the entire area.”

Xiao Feng and everyone else’s hearts sank in dismay. They had arrived after much anxious anticipation and instead were met with the unexpected aftermath of what they assumed was going to be a showdown.

“However, I seem to be picking up traces of turbulent qi. It seems like traces from a great battle…”

They teleported a few more times, drawing ever closer to the epicenter of Tian Ji Han’s explosion.

“I…I don’t understand,” said Ying Er. “What technique could have done this?”

Brother Liu Kang and Sun Lu felt uneasy. They were both Core Formation cultivators, they understood what could have been the possible cause behind this large explosion.

Core Detonation!

But a blast radius of this size was ridiculous, who was the one who detonated and what did he do or use to achieve such a magnitude of destruction?

“Little brat,” sighed Chen Zixi. “Your master is dead.”

“What? No! It can’t be-” protested Ying Er. “How could you know that? We just got here! Let us out, I’m coming out!”

Ying Er was the first to exit her realm in the Six Worlds Bead necklace that Chen Zixi wore. She was not even embarrassed as Chen Zixi threw her bundle of clothes and other belongings at her.

Soon everyone else followed her. Xiao Feng felt dizzily weak as he grew back to normal size, but felt even weaker at the notion that he failed his mission. They had finally arrived, but he felt crushing dread that Chen Zixi was right- that they were too late!

Chen Zixi pointed:

“If you look further around, you’ll see pig tracks. Didn’t you say this Yin Na was riding a Spicy Oil Boar around?”

Indeed, large hooven tracks were imprinted all over the ashes.

“Wait, but there are dead animals here…and they have remnants of Yao Guai qi!” Brother Sun Lu found the corpses of Liao Ya Shu, She Liaoji and Huang Jin Be in their original animal forms, all mutilated in horrific ways.

“Is it possible Master Ji Han killed these Yao Guai?” said Brother Liu Kang. “And maybe the Spicy Oil Boar just walked away by itself?”

“No,” thought Xiao Feng. “The Spicy Boar Oil is a unique desolate beast, it is incredibly loyal to whoever tamed it, which would be Yin Na. The way these Yao Guai were killed isn’t how Master Ji Han would finish off Yao Guai either…”

He could recognize his master’s handiwork, and these animals were not slain by his hands. Why would Yin Na kill his own Yao Guai after the battle, if he had been the one to survive?

Chen Zixi said: “It does not matter if Yin Na is alive or not, your master is already dead- he detonated himself. The proof is right below us, we’re floating above its ashes.”

Xiao Feng would not believe him. He had prepared himself mentally and emotionally for the realization that they would be too late to save his master, but instead, he felt oddly calm. He did not know why, but he felt like it was because he felt like his master’s demise had not been ascertained yet.

“How could a core detonation be this huge?” interjected Brother Sun Lu. “The maximum size of even a perfect grade detonation should be about the circumference of ten men wide.”

Chen Zixi shook his head and sighed.

“Soul Overload pill.”

The others gasped. They had never heard such an impressive pill, but it sounded rare and powerful.

“What is a Soul Overload pill? You mean it can expand the size of one’s suicide detonation to this extent?!”

A look of incredible irritation and annoyance suddenly spread across Chen Zixi’s face.

“Alright, that’s enough. I have wasted enough time here, it’s time for me to make my exit.”

Chen Zixi realized there was nothing for him to gain here. His opportunity to earn 100,000 spirit stones evidently had passed, blown to pieces. He was practical-minded; he had no time to spend entertaining information and sympathy with these lower-leveled cultivators.

Chen Zixi got out his spinning top mount again, he was clearly going to leave them all for real. Xiao Feng cried out, falling to his knees before Chen Zixi.

“Please! Please wait, master Chen! Please don’t go!”

Chen Zixi stopped seconds before departing, a dark look on his face.

“You dare to hold back a Golden Core such as myself?” Chen Zixi’s beard floated from the sheer killing intent rising within him. “You are courting death!”

“Please don’t hurt Xiao Feng!” Ying Er cried out, she, too, got on her knees.

Xiao Feng was burying his head into the ground, bowing and giving his all to his plea.

“Please, follow the tracks of this Spicy Oil Boar. I believe we can find out the aftermath of the battle by following the trial of the desolate beast.”

Chen Zixi looked like he was about to strike Xiao Feng, when suddenly his eyes squinted in a crafty glint. “Do you remember what I told you? I would not help avenge your master even if Yin Na was right here, in front of us.”

“...” Xiao Feng’s head was still bowed, he was not sure he was prepared for what Chen Zixi was about to say next.

“Even if you paid me 100,000 spirit stones now, I would not help you any further.”

Xiao Feng grit his teeth, and began hitting his head repeatedly on the forest floor.

“With Heaven as my witness, I will pay you 100,000 spirit stones on top of the initial reward of 100,000 spirit stones, and I…I will be your disciple and call you Master from now on!”

Chen Zixi smiled, and his threatening gaze passed slowly from Xiao Feng to his friends.

“Did you all hear that? Xiao Feng just made a promise before Heaven, he cannot take it back! What are you all standing there for, say something, don’t just stare blankly!”

“Y-yes…” Brother Liu Kang and Sun Lu knew Chen Zixi wanted their verbal confirmation that they were witnesses, and that Chen Zixi’s strength as a Golden Cultivator alone was enough to prevent them from saying otherwise.

This is what it means when you’re a Golden Core, one can easily suppress those with inferior power!

“Starting from today, Xiao Feng will be my disciple from now on. As payment, he owes me 200,000 spirit stones when we return to the Heavenly Sword sect!”