The Golden Crystal Beast was an extremely aggressive monster. It was about six meters long, with a snow-white knife-shaped horn on its head and covered in white scales. When angered, its white scales would turn golden. Its thin, pointed tail was covered in scales and spikes, and it had two red crystal eyes, with a third eye opening on its forehead when enraged, hence the name "Three-Eyed Beast."

Zhang Lei didn't have time to curse as he raised his razor-sharp spear to strike at the Golden Crystal Beast's head. At the same time, he shouted, "Everyone, retreat!" However, his spear strikes, which had transformed into illusions, could not stop the beast's momentum, and it rammed into Zhang Lei's chest, causing him to be thrown out by the force of the impact. His Red Flame Dragon Shield was activated, but unfortunately, the monster was too heavy and strong, catching him off guard.

Zhao Hao and Zheng Peng approached from the left and right at the same time. Zhao Hao's sword aimed straight for the beast's eye, while Zheng Peng swung his giant ax with all his might and struck at the horn. The beast swung its horn and the ax struck the horn with a loud crash. The snow-white horn flashed with golden light, and Zheng Peng felt like he had just struck the southern mountain's horn, causing him to stagger and sit on the ground while his ax flew out of his hand. Zhao Hao's sword missed its target, so he relied on his skillful movement to rebound with another strike, which hit the beast's body but couldn't penetrate its skin.

Although he wasn't injured, Zhang Lei felt very frustrated. Looking up, he was shocked to see the beast charging aggressively towards him. He shouted, "Blackie, get out of the way!" As the beast got closer, he realized he was not strong enough to face it alone. With a plan in mind, he yelled, "Everyone, follow me!"

Zhang Lei led the group straight to a large tree, then said, "Hide behind that boulder. I'll draw the beast away." The Golden Crystal Beast's body shimmered with golden light as it broke free of the binds and stood up. It seemed very angry and, turning its body, spotted Zhang Lei standing under the tree. It roared and rushed forward.

Zhang Lei shot out a golden eagle, which made the beast step back a few steps. He laughed and said to the person sitting on the tree, "You stay put." Then he quickly disappeared behind the boulder. Furious, the beast charged madly forward, but Zhang Lei had suddenly disappeared, causing it to collide with the tree. The person in the tree fell with a loud cry and landed right on top of the Golden Crystal Beast. To the surprise of Zhang Lei and the others, the person grabbed the beast's horn with just one hand and punched it one after another. The beast was like a mountain, completely immobile, and every punch made it ache to the bone. The person grinned and said while looking towards where Zhang Lei hid, "Hey hey, I can't hurt it anymore. Alas, I'm getting old and can't show off my strength anymore!" He then jumped down from the beast and dragged it towards Zhang Lei's hiding place with just one hand.

Everyone was stunned by his incredible strength. The beast was covered in golden light, and it had used all its strength in trying to escape but was unable to. It emitted groans one after the other, looking helpless. Mei Jingjing nervously said, "He, he's dragging the beast over!" Everyone understood that if he let go, the result would be terrible.

Deep in thought, Zhang Lei suddenly realized something. He took out his half-drunk bottle of Maotai liquor and held it up, saying to the other person, "Hey, be careful and don't let go. If you do, I'll get nervous and won't be able to hold the bottle." The other person, caught in a difficult position by Zhang Lei, yelled, "Alright, you're ruthless!" then grinned and said, "Let's make a deal. I'll help you drive away the Golden Crystal Beast and you'll give me that bottle of liquor." The sight of the bottle of Maotai made the other person's mouth water. Mei Jingjing objected, "That's not fair. It was you who lured the monster here, so you should be the one to drive it away. That's not fair! Let's change the terms." The other person thought to himself, "Haha, mission accomplished. What terms could stump me now?" After wiping his mouth, he said, "Alright, you tell me what terms you want, and I'll make the trade." Zhang Lei nodded and said, "You make the suggestion." He thought to himself, "This is the best way, no one loses face." Mei Jingjing suddenly had an idea when she saw the other person holding onto the beast's horn with one hand. Giggling, she said, "Why don't you trade with the beast's horn?" She thought to herself, "Let's see how you get it down." The other person sighed with relief and said, "Oh, that's tough for me." He then grabbed the beast's horn with one hand and twisted it with the other hand. They heard a crisp cracking sound as he broke the golden horn off the beast. None of the four people could believe that a human could possess such strength. "You've done a great job. I won't kill you. Get lost!" The other person kicked the beast into the air, which disappeared from their sight as though something had dragged it away. The other person walked over with the horn, saying, "The girl has good taste. This gold crystal horn is a treasure." Zhao Hao knew that the other person was definitely an expert, and despite being impressed, he asked, "Hey, who are you?" The other person ignored Zhao Hao entirely and handed the horn to Mei Jingjing, impatiently reaching out his hand and saying, "Give me the liquor!" Seeing how impatient he was, Zhang Lei smiled slightly and said, "I have plenty of liquor, but first tell me who you are?" The other person's eyes lit up and he said, "Really? But I didn't see you wearing one. Oh, you have a storage bracelet! Who is your master? Hey, give me the liquor first!" After handing over the liquor bottle, he took a sip, his gaunt face relaxing as he let out a sigh. He asked, "Which sect are you from and how can you have a storage bracelet that even high-level cultivators find hard to obtain? You've just reached the Yuan Ying period, how can your sect give you such a precious bracelet?" Before Zhang Lei could answer, the other person's expression changed. He said, "Let's talk in a quiet place first. There are two annoying guys coming." Without further ado, a white light enveloped the four people and in an instant, there was no one in sight. Two strange figures appeared on the ground, one tall and one short. The tall one cursed, "Damn it, he's slipped away again!" and the short one sniffed and exclaimed, "This old guy seems to have found some good liquor. He might have already broken the 'heartless curse' we put on him." The tall one growled, "Let's keep searching for him. Let's go!" The other person led the way and said, "We're there." He sat down on the ground.

Although Zhang Lei couldn't teleport, he had experience, while Zhao Hao and the others had never experienced anything like it before, and were both scared and admiring. The man took another sip of wine and said, "Let's continue. " Then he looked at Zhang Lei. After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Lei said, "I seem to have no sect, the bracelet was given to me by my big brother." The man looked skeptical and asked, "Impossible, who is your big brother?" Zhang Lei replied, "My big brother's name is Fu Shan, he is from Fengyuan Star." The man jumped up from the ground, surprised and exclaimed, "What? It's Fu Shan, Fu Chongbi?" Scratching his head, he said, "No wonder, no wonder. Hmm, strange, strange. Hey little brother, is Fu Shan your guide?" Zhang Lei was excited, he knew Fu Shan, and said, "Yes, big brother Fu is my guide. Do you know my big brother?" The man laughed, "Hehe, more than just knowing, we've been fighting for hundreds of years, we can't do anything to each other. By the way, you didn't seem to learn anything special, why are you so bad?" Zhao Hao and the others were amazed and couldn't say a word, thinking to themselves. Zhang Lei then told him about his experience on Mars. The man laughed happily and said, "Haha, Hua Mei Niang, not bad, not bad, this little demon girl has courage, dare to challenge Fu Chongbi with you, interesting, very interesting." He also said, "Since you are Fu Chongbi's brother, I won't hide it from you. My name is Hou Pijing, and I am friends and rivals with your big brother." Zhang Lei was surprised and laughed, "What, called monkey fart spirit? Haha!" The four of them couldn't help but burst into laughter. Hou Pijing was angry and took a big sip of wine, saying, "Do you want to know what sect Fu Shan is from?" Of course, Zhang Lei wanted to know. Since he was separated from Fu Shan on Mars, he had not had a chance to learn about his background and sect. Hou Pijing said with pride, "Want to listen? Bring another bottle of wine!" Zhang Lei was furious. Hou Pijing took a sip of wine, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and began to introduce Fu Shan's background and sect. Fu Shan, also known as Chongbi, was a true man of the Qingfeng sect, whose method of cultivation was different from others. Their core practice was to make tools, and their methods were unique and extremely effective in the early stages of cultivation. Among the seven sects and organizations on Fengyuan Star, it was the most unique one. The core members of this sect were not master-disciple relationships, but rather brothers who absorbed new members as guides. However, those who were absorbed had to meet the unique requirements of this sect. To become a guide of the sect, the practitioner's cultivation must reach the level of splitting the soul, and a special cultivation artifact must be made to help the new members build a foundation.

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The Zhongxuan Sect has a strange rule that each core brother can independently accept disciples, making it a powerful sect. There are 27 surviving core brothers, of which 15 are missing, possibly in seclusion for cultivation. Fu Shan ranks twelfth among the brothers and has already reached the master realm. Zhang Lei sighed and asked Hou Pi Jing, "Who are the two annoying guys you mentioned earlier, and why did you hide from them?" With alcohol on his breath, Hou Pi Jing cursed, "Those two despicable guys. They hide in the shadows to harm people. They are elders of the 'Poison Curse' sect. They cast the most powerful 'Heartless Curse' on me when I wasn't paying attention. My Nascent Soul was sealed, and I have to drink alcohol to temporarily dissolve it. It's worse than being an alcoholic." Zhang Lei asked curiously, "How can alcohol unlock the Heartless Curse?" Hou Pi Jing replied helplessly, "I don't know. When I'm afflicted with the Heartless Curse, I feel uneasy. Once I drank alcohol, I discovered that it could temporarily dissolve the damn curse. It seems that the stronger the alcohol, the better the effect. After ten years of drinking, I now salivate when I smell alcohol." Zhang Lei thought to himself, "If strong alcohol can dissolve the Heartless Curse, then what could be stronger than alcohol? Oh, I happen to have medical alcohol with a purity of 100 degrees. Hehe, let's see if the curse can withstand it." He took out a bottle of alcohol and said with a grin, "This is the strongest alcohol I have, but it doesn't taste good. Would you like to try it?" He secretly delighted in his heart, "A hundred-degree pure alcohol would be deadly if consumed, so it should be safe for him." Unfortunately, Hou Pi Jing couldn't stand the word "alcohol" now. He snatched the bottle and drank three large gulps, wondering, "What is this taste?" Suddenly, a flame rose from his stomach, and he shouted with excitement, "Wow, this is amazing! It's so satisfying." He emptied the bottle into his stomach and sat down cross-legged. Mei Jing Jing whispered, "Brother, what kind of alcohol did you give him? His face is so red, and he's glowing all over." Zheng Peng stupidly said, "Brother, give me a sip too." Zhang Lei laughed and scolded him, "If you could handle it, why not? It's alcohol!" None of them knew what alcohol was, and Zhang Lei felt helpless looking at their puzzled looks. Hou Pi Jing was extremely excited. The Heartless Curse that had plagued him for nearly ten years had shown signs of complete dissolution. With the stimulation of the alcohol, his true element began to rotate rapidly. He closed his eyes and saw the dark, sticky threads surrounding his Nascent Soul loosen under the rapid consumption of true element. Becoming increasingly faint, they allowed his Nascent Soul to expand rapidly, and in an instant, the Heartless Curse that had plagued him for nearly ten years vanished like smoke.

After sweating profusely, Hou Pijing jumped for joy, floating in mid-air and twirling around before landing in front of Zhang Lei with a happy smile. Zhang Lei thought to himself, "Great, medical-grade alcohol from Baidu works just like water!" He congratulated Hou Pijing, who responded by thanking Zhang Lei and promising to help him with anything he needed in the future. Even though Zhang Lei didn't fully understand the significance of having someone like Hou Pijing on his side, he was still happy about it.

As Zhang Lei asked Hou Pijing to teach him more about the ways of cultivation, he didn't realize that Hou Pijing was a well-known figure in the world of cultivation, just like Fu Shan. Hou Pijing had exceptional skills and was rarely challenged, making him a difficult character to deal with. With Hou Pijing as his mentor, Zhang Lei's pool of potential enemies would be limited.

Zhang Lei asked Hou Pijing to teach him how to fly. Despite his limited experience in cultivation, Zhang Lei had an eye for the extraordinary. When Zhao Hao and his friends expressed their desire to learn as well, Hou Pijing agreed to teach each of them a set of skills.

Zhang Lei focused on the flow of his true essence, slowly lifting himself off the ground and walking through the air. He quickly figured out how to move in the air and was ecstatic. However, during a moment of excitement, he lost focus and fell to the ground. Everyone laughed except for Zhao Hao, who envied Zhang Lei's natural talent.

Despite the embarrassment, Zhang Lei was determined to get better at flying. He knew that he needed a good sword to do so, and was worried about how he would obtain one. He soon found out that in cultivating, a master would gift their disciple with a sword. This left Zhang Lei in a predicament, as he hadn't received one.

Zhang Lei came up with an idea and smiled at Hou Pijing.

Hou Pijing quickly saw Zhang Lei's smile and shouted, "Hey, don't get any ideas, I don't have a sword, I swear it, I don't have it." Zhang Lei didn't answer, and slowly placed eight bottles of wine on the ground, smiling at Zhao Hao and saying, "Although you are my registered disciple, I haven't given you a flying sword. These eight bottles of premium wine can be considered compensation for you." Zhao Hao understood and said, "Thank you, Master."

Hou Pijing's eyes were about to pop out as he exclaimed, "Brother, I didn't do anything wrong to you, you, you -!" He anxiously scratched his head and face. Zhao Hao smiled and said, "Master Uncle, how about this? These eight bottles of good wine are to show my respect to you, and you can give your disciple a good sword on behalf of our Master." Hou Pijing was caught in a vulnerable spot by Zhang Lei, who made him drink the ten-year-old liquor until he was addicted to it. Hou Pijing pretended to be amazed and shook his head, "Oh, I remember now, I have a good sword. Alright, I'll let you have it, but you have to go through re-cultivation to use it."

Zheng Peng and Mei Jingjing were fed up and went up to frantically pester Hou Pijing, bombarding him with all sorts of requests. The four of them tangled up, driving Hou Pijing mad. As a grandmaster, he was bombarded by four novices, making him dizzy and shouting that he couldn't take it anymore. After ten days of cultivation, Zhang Lei and his disciples' strength had greatly increased.

That day, Hou Pijing hid himself in a large tree, drinking good wine and thinking. Zhang Lei flew up to the tree and sat beside him, asking, "Elder brother, are you also cultivating in Fengyuan Star?" Hou Pijing shook his head and said, "I cultivate in Bada Star, but I often go to Fengyuan Star because there are many cultivators and sects there. Some of the things that cultivators use can only be bought there." Curious, Zhang Lei asked, "Then how did you come to Tian Ting Star?" Hou Pijing said, "This is my hometown. I come back every few decades, but there's not much to see. Everything has changed except for my deep attachment to it." He laughed a few times, filled with bitterness. "Enough about me, where are you heading?" Zhang Lei sighed, "The emperor of the Song Kingdom wants me to go to the capital. I have no idea what he wants." Hou Pijing nodded and said, "That's not surprising since you're a cultivator. Don't worry, I'll accompany you." His eyes flashed, "Good fellas, those two despicable people have even found their way here. This time, let's see how I deal with them." Zhang Lei knew that someone from the Poison Curse Sect had found them.