Chapter 331: Wanting to Run Because You Can’t Win, You’re Useless Trash After All

Song Jiulai breathed a sigh of relief. ’This Little Golden Dragon is a total badass!’

A Cultivator of the same level wouldn’t stand a chance of injuring her.

But this palm strike from Ma Feng, an Early-Stage Golden Core cultivator, had indeed injured her severely.

Her already incomparably hard bones had been rattled by the blow.

However, most of the force had been dispersed.

A body tempered by the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone was virtually indestructible; it couldn’t be obliterated by a single move from a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator.

And just as Song Jiulai had predicted, a portion of the force was even devoured by the Little Golden Dragon.

She shot Ma Feng a cold smile. "Fellow Daoist, since I’ve paid such a heavy price, I’ll just have to take my compensation from you!"

’You’d better have prepared dozens of Fourth-rank Qi Replenishing Pills to wear me down today!’

"What price? Are you insane?" Ma Feng’s expression darkened. "You show up out of nowhere, attack me, and then dare to say I’ll pay the price? You’re courting death! Even if we were the same rank, you’d be no match for me!"

He had his reasons for being confident. These small sects on the border couldn’t possibly have any powerful Golden Core cultivators.

They certainly couldn’t have more Magic Treasures and Cultivation Techniques than he did!

Song Jiulai didn’t waste any more words on him. These days, she didn’t use Palm Thunder much, relying instead on the Moonlight Sword Technique.

Even for someone in the Golden Core Stage, constantly dealing with the Time Sword Intent inherent in the Moonlight Sword Technique was a real challenge!

If Ma Feng made a single mistake today and entered the Prosperous Scenery Tower, he could forget about escaping.

But the commotion from their battle was significant, and she didn’t know if it would attract others from the border.

Far away, an old man watched the battle, his eyes narrowing slightly as he smiled.

"Interesting, interesting. This is far more interesting than I imagined."

"What’s so interesting?"

Little Ya’s clear voice rang out. "Grandpa, they said you can’t come to class today."

The old man turned his head aside. "Why not?"

Little Ya replied, "Your snoring yesterday was so loud it disturbed everyone in the classroom."

The old man: "..."

He seemed to get angry, puffing out his beard and glaring. "You... you ungrateful little brats!"

His eyes darted around. "Well, I suppose I don’t have to go to class today after all. I have something to take care of, so I’ll be off."

"Oh." Little Ya handed him a pastry. "Today’s snack."

He casually took it, unceremoniously stuffed it into his mouth, and even managed to say, "Thanks!"

"You’re welcome!" Little Ya replied with a cheerful smile and went on her way.

She had many other playmates to go have fun with.

The old man arrived at the tavern, where Zhai Xiaotian was already tasting a new wine. But today, his expression seemed somewhat grave.

He kept glancing out the window from time to time.

The old man walked over. "What’s wrong? Did you sense your crappy old gourd?"

Zhai Xiaotian paused when he saw him. "Senior, why do you say that?"

"The Sect Master of the Longevity Sect is back, and she’s fighting some little Golden Core punk from the Tianyang Sect."

"Golden Core?!" Zhai Xiaotian seemed shocked. "But she... she’s at Foundation Establishment at most."

After all, he knew how fast the Longevity Sect players progressed.

But he would never have imagined that Song Jiulai could go from the Early Stage of Qi Refining straight to Golden Core in just a few months.

This place was different, after all. She had been stuck in a place with thin Spiritual Energy, and the Dragon Frost Swamp wasn’t much better.

How could she have progressed at such a divine speed?

That would shatter a Cultivator’s understanding of common sense!

"Foundation Establishment?" The old man sat down, unceremoniously snatched Zhai Xiaotian’s Spiritual Wine for a drink, and said with a wry smile, "She’s not the Foundation Establishment cultivator you think she is. This Sect Master has some tricks up her sleeve. She’s hidden her cultivation so well that even I can’t see through it. Interesting, very interesting indeed!"

The old man before him called himself Han Daozi, a name he had casually thrown out.

Zhai Xiaotian had never heard of him and still had no clue about the old man’s identity or origins.

Zhai Xiaotian frowned. "I have to go take a look."

A Golden Core cultivator from the Tianyang Sect attacking a local Cultivator was definitely against the rules.

In the past, Zhai Xiaotian wouldn’t have bothered with something like this.

But things were different now.

He had witnessed many of the changes within the Longevity Sect, and he had a feeling that the Sect was secretly working on something stunning.

Although he still didn’t know what it was.

But the things those disciples were creating were already beyond imagination.

"Worrying for nothing." Han Daozi, unconcerned, even had the leisure to call over the waiter and order a few braised chicken legs. "She has the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone to protect her. Even if she’s only at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, a Golden Core Stage cultivator can’t take her life. As long as she doesn’t die, it’s fine."

"The Nine Transformations Dragon Bone?"

Zhai Xiaotian, surprised that the old man knew so much, frowned. "Isn’t that a legendary Incomplete Cultivation Technique? Why would she practice that? Once she reaches the Golden Core, she won’t be able to advance a single step further. She’ll never be able to form a Nascent Soul in her entire life. How foolish."

’Could her rapid cultivation speed be because she’s practicing the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone?’

"The Cultivation Technique is indeed incomplete," Han Daozi said meaningfully. "But I feel that this girl is different."

Even from such a great distance, his Divine Sense could remain locked firmly onto the two of them.

He was experienced and knowledgeable, and he could tell with a single glance that Song Jiulai was practicing the mental method of the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone.

But the attack had barely scratched her!

Something was not right.

The gap between the Golden Core Stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage was a great chasm. If it could be crossed so easily, why would every threshold be so incredibly difficult to overcome?

Han Daozi felt that there was something strange about the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone in Song Jiulai’s body.

Meanwhile, Song Jiulai had discovered something even more exciting.

The Golden Core cultivator before her didn’t seem to have a particularly powerful Cultivation Technique, though he did have several Magic Treasures and quite a few Cultivation Techniques.

However, they were all ones Song Jiulai recognized—miscellaneous, common techniques available on the market.

This suggested that his Cultivation Techniques and Magic Treasures were most likely stolen.

But the power of a Golden Core cultivator...

With every palm strike she took head-on, the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone absorbed most of the force, while another portion was devoured by the Little Golden Dragon.

And that was when Song Jiulai noticed something peculiar.

The portion the Little Golden Dragon devoured this time was circling around the still-unsolidified Little Green Dragon. With every blow that landed on Song Jiulai, the Little Golden Dragon would guide a part of that power over to the Little Green Dragon.

It seemed the Little Green Dragon was also absorbing it.

’Can it accelerate its formation by absorbing the power from the attacks I take?’

Once this idea popped into her head, Song Jiulai could barely contain her excitement.

’Does this mean I’ll have to get beat up all the time from now on? Then why didn’t this happen when Liang Yao hit me?’

She was even able to get distracted during battle.

’Was Liang Yao just too weak?’

’That was definitely a possibility.’

After all, Liang Yao couldn’t even fight back. The power of a Golden Core cultivator like this was on a completely different level for her, unlike a normal fight.

Meanwhile, the more Ma Feng fought, the more terrified he became.

He had already discovered that Song Jiulai’s speed wasn’t necessarily faster than his, and her power felt a bit strange—not like a typical Golden Core cultivator.

In fact, it seemed a little weaker.

But her relentless barrage of moves left him breathless.

He had been determined to kill Song Jiulai, but he found that even after taking so many of his attacks and spitting up blood several times, her combat strength hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

She was popping pills as if they were free.

At this thought, the urge to retreat actually flickered in his mind!

He had business here; he hadn’t come to risk his life.

He wanted to run.

Song Jiulai sensed his intention and continued to use her Swordsmanship to relentlessly force him back.

At the same time, she chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, trying to run just because you can’t win? You really are a piece of trash."

Her words were designed to strike a nerve.