Chapter 152: She Kissed Me

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: She Kissed Me

The competition Flame Medicine Hidden had arranged was for those below the Golden Core Realm, meaning the contestants would undoubtedly be the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon List.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Cloud Transformation Sect. After all, their very own Shangguan Tianjian was the undisputed number one on the Hidden Dragon List.

In the eyes of the three white-robed men, the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence was as good as the Cloud Transformation Sect’s. And so, the trio departed with the news.

As a power in its own right, the Asura Arena also had many high-ranking geniuses on the Hidden Dragon List. With Flame Medicine Hidden setting the competition on their home turf, the situation was highly advantageous for Qing Luo. That was why he had agreed to protect both Yi Xiaoyao and Flame Medicine Hidden.

Seeing the people from the Cloud Transformation Sect leave, Flame Medicine Hidden finally let out a sigh of relief and looked over at Yi Xiaoyao.

"Carefree Lad, in the competition three months from now, I’d rather not see someone else walk away with the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence," Flame Medicine Hidden said with a sigh.

Yi Xiaoyao nodded solemnly. "Elder Yan, I will not fail to live up to your expectations."

He understood Elder Yan’s intentions. The elder had been forced to reveal the secret of the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence to the world just to save him.

And in return for Elder Yan’s sacrifice, Yi Xiaoyao would seize the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence and make sure the elder was not disappointed.

"Good. In that case, you should head back," Flame Medicine Hidden said, nodding in satisfaction.

Yi Xiaoyao thought for a moment, then said, "Elder Yan, why don’t you come back with me to the Seven Kills Star Hall?"

"Flame Medicine Hidden is setting up the competition here at my Asura Arena, so naturally, he must stay. My Asura Arena can guarantee his safety."

Qing Luo walked over to Yi Xiaoyao. "Kid, I look forward to seeing you again in three months. For now, I’ll have someone escort you back."

Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed slightly at his words. He looked at Qing Luo, recalling that this was the man who had given him the Great Demon Pill before.

"Alright. Thank you for the trouble, Senior," he finally said with a nod.

Qing Luo gestured to a subordinate in black behind him. The man nodded and stepped forward to escort Yi Xiaoyao back to the Seven Kills Star Hall.

The man in black was cautious the entire way, on guard against any lingering members of the Cloud Transformation Sect who might try to kill Yi Xiaoyao. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.

Once he stepped into the Seven Kills Star Hall, Yi Xiaoyao cupped his fist toward the man in black. "Thank you for the escort, Senior."

The man in black nodded, then with a flicker, he vanished into the air.

Yi Xiaoyao gave a wry laugh. ’Another Nascent Soul Realm expert.’ After a moment of reflection, he hurried toward Yun Mengling’s residence.

Though it was late, a bit of candlelight still flickered in Yun Mengling’s room. ’She must be cultivating,’ he thought.

Yi Xiaoyao walked up and knocked on the door, saying softly, "Ling’Er, it’s me."

The moment his voice reached the inside, a flurry of footsteps sounded. An instant later, the door opened to reveal Yun Mengling’s lovely, blushing face. She was as beautiful as a Celestial Immortal.

"What are you doing here so late?"

Yun Mengling’s limpid eyes held a hint of hidden joy. Had it been anyone other than Yi Xiaoyao, she likely wouldn’t have answered the door at this hour.

Yi Xiaoyao grinned. The moment he saw the lovely girl before him, all the unpleasantness he had just experienced vanished like smoke.

"Ling’Er, I came to give you this."

He held up the Bright Light Saint Sparrow Demon Pill in his hand, offering it to Yun Mengling.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Yun Mengling’s beautiful eyes.

She finally understood. When Yi Xiaoyao had asked her about it earlier in the day, he was already planning to get the Bright Light Saint Sparrow Demon Pill for her.

A warm feeling spread through Yun Mengling’s heart as she accepted the Demon Core and thanked him softly.

"Thank you, Xiaoyao."

Yi Xiaoyao froze, a delighted surprise on his face. "What did you just call me?"

The question immediately made Yun Mengling’s face flush red. She huffed indignantly and stomped on Yi Xiaoyao’s foot in a fit of bashful anger.

"Jerk!"

"Ouch! Ling’Er..."

Yi Xiaoyao looked completely innocent, having no idea what he’d said wrong.

But in the next moment, Yun Mengling leaned in and, like a chick pecking at rice, planted a quick kiss on Yi Xiaoyao’s cheek with her soft lips. Then, her face burning red, she scurried back into her room and shut the door.

Yi Xiaoyao was completely frozen in place. He felt as if the entire world had suddenly become a better place, a giddy, weightless sensation washing over him.

Yun Mengling had actually kissed him. And she’d called him Xiaoyao. The sudden change caught Yi Xiaoyao completely off guard.

"Xiaoyao, it’s getting late. You should go back and rest!" her shy, gentle voice called from inside the room.

Yi Xiaoyao snapped back to his senses and hurriedly replied, "Oh! Right! You get some rest too, Ling’Er!"

Then, like a wild stallion that had broken its reins, he bolted back to his own residence in a state of pure excitement.

’Ling’Er kissed me! She kissed me!’

On the way back, the image of what had just happened and the sound of Yun Mengling calling him Xiaoyao replayed over and over in his mind.

Today, he had nearly lost his life in the Asura Arena for a single Bright Light Saint Sparrow Demon Pill, but now, he felt it had been completely worth it!

For this, Yi Xiaoyao had the Hall Master to thank. It was thanks to his excellent idea—trading a Demon Core for a kiss from his beloved was a bargain.

Although he had faced great danger in the process, that was all the fault of the Cloud Transformation Sect. It only served to strengthen Yi Xiaoyao’s resolve to annihilate them.

’I will destroy the Cloud Transformation Sect, that’s a certainty. But right now, the most important thing is the competition for the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence in three months,’ Yi Xiaoyao’s expression grew serious as he murmured to himself.

He had to increase his strength as much as possible within these three months, because he would be facing all the strongest experts in the Golden Core Realm.

Shangguan Tianjian, number one on the Hidden Dragon List, for instance, would surely be his greatest threat in the fight for the Heaven and Earth Fire Essence.

Shangguan Tianjian was the son of the Cloud Transformation Sect’s Leader, Shangguan Jingyun. Though they had never met, he was an enemy all the same.

A cold glint appeared in Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes as he spoke with chilling intent. "I wonder what kind of face Shangguan Jingyun will make when I kill his son."

Back at his residence, Yi Xiaoyao cast aside these distracting thoughts, sat cross-legged on his bed, and prepared to begin his Cultivation.

After today’s battle, which had pushed him to his limits, his Cultivation had clearly improved. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to break through to the Golden Core Third Realm.

Suddenly, something rustled inside Yi Xiaoyao’s robes, and a small black monkey shot out.

"Little Hei, you must have been miserable in there, huh?"

Yi Xiaoyao chuckled. Little Hei had been hiding in his robes the entire time he was fighting.

"Eat!" Little Hei cried, its big, dark eyes wide.

"Oh, right."

Yi Xiaoyao suddenly remembered that he’d won quite a few Demon Cores at the Asura Arena, among them a Great Demon Pill.

He immediately took out the Great Demon Pill, examined it for a moment, and handed it to Little Hei.

Little Hei was already a high-grade, first-rank Demon Beast. He wondered what level it would reach after eating this Great Demon Pill.

Once Little Hei became a third-rank Demon Beast, it would be equivalent to a human in the Golden Core Realm. Then, it would be a huge asset to him.

...