Chapter 77: Strange News and Breakthroughs Again! (Sixth Update for Alliance Leader Bella!)

After Zhao Xing snatched from Qin Feng twice, he originally planned to continue his harvest. Unexpectedly, as they walked, Little Wildcat got hungry and wanted to eat the vine berries and white fragrant grass it had tasted before. So Zhao Xing found a place and started planting the two things Little Wildcat loved to eat.

Since the previous straw men were left outside the temple and lost their effectiveness due to the distance, he simply planted some Diamond Bamboo. Even if they weren't needed for battle, they could be used to trap some divine straw men and move faster.

He thought he wouldn't encounter any more 'good luck' for a while. Unexpectedly, luck came, and he couldn't hold it back. While he was farming in the mountain valley, he unexpectedly ran into Wenzhao and Zhang Boran! The two of them didn't even realize that this bamboo forest was deliberately planted by someone.

They didn't even notice the straw men buried on both sides. "What's on Zhang Boran's body?" Zhao Xing's gaze fell on the pouch on Zhang Boran's waist, and he could tell at a glance that it was good stuff. What moved Zhao Xing even more was that clay pot. Its attraction was immense, far stronger than ordinary middle-grade spiritual herbs!

"Little Wildcat, stop eating, something fun is coming!" Zhao Xing waved at the Wildcat, who was munching on fruit. "Meow~" Wildcat was a bit displeased; it wasn't full yet.

"Hurry up, those two have more delicious things on them, you'll definitely like it!" Zhao Xing urged. "Meow!" Hearing about delicious food, Wildcat's big eyes immediately lit up. With a leap, it jumped onto the Diamond Bamboo, and after a few jumps, it rushed out of the bamboo forest.

"Boran, what did you find this time..." Wenzhao was about to ask what good things Zhang Boran had found, causing him to even drop his knife. But before he could finish, he saw Zhang Boran suddenly soar into the air, bending into a bow in mid-air.

"Bang!" The sound echoed, and Zhang Boran was involuntarily thrown out. The yellow chestnuts in his pouch scattered all over the ground, and the clay pot also fell to the ground. Zhang Boran didn't even make a sound before he fainted.

Little Wildcat was an entry-level exotic beast, having consumed countless spiritual herbs, and even an entry-level warrior couldn't withstand such a collision. Let alone Zhang Boran, who was only at the eighth stage. He lay on the ground decisively.

"What?!" Wenzhao was stunned; he didn't even know what happened. He instinctively picked up the clay pot, planning to run. However, at this moment, a small, cute cat appeared in his sight.

"Hiss~" Wildcat let out a light roar, arching its back and locking onto Wenzhao. "Old friend, quickly put down the spiritual herbs, or you'll face great disaster!" A teasing voice came from behind.

Wenzhao was startled; wasn't that his line? Turning around, he saw Zhao Xing walking out of the bamboo forest. "You, Zhao Xing?!" Wenzhao recalled Zhao Xing's demeanor in front of the Temple of Heaven Square yesterday. At that time, he had said those words to Zhao Xing. Never thought the tables would turn.

Now Zhao Xing was saying it to him. "What, still reluctant to let go?" Zhao Xing looked at Wenzhao indifferently, "Have you read so much that your brain has turned to mush?"

Wenzhao looked at Wildcat, then at Zhao Xing, took a deep breath, and picked up a thorny branch from the ground. Then he bent his waist and slowly approached Zhao Xing.

"Mr. Zhao, yesterday's offense, Mr. Wen deeply regrets, please whip Mr. Wen to relieve your anger." Wenzhao bowed sincerely, his voice extremely earnest. It seemed like he was genuinely repenting, making one feel he truly admitted his mistake.

This was indeed Li Xiu, even playing the act of asking for punishment. "Punishment ritual?" Zhao Xing mocked, "You know quite a lot, besides the peace ritual and fire ritual, I didn't expect your punishment ritual to have some firepower. Do you think I'll fall for it? How does your 'punishment ritual' compare to the power of the underworld wind?"

Wenzhao's eyes flickered; he didn't expect his trick to be seen through so easily. Just as he was about to speak again, Zhao Xing suddenly rushed forward, snatching the thorny branch from his hand and viciously whipping his back.

"I'll fulfill your wish!" "Snap!" The fiery pain spread from his back, and Wenzhao took a deep breath. But his method was broken, and with Wildcat staring at him, he had no strength to fight back, only allowing Zhao Xing to whip him.

"Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap!" The branch sliced through the air, quickly whipping five times, causing Wenzhao to collapse on the ground. "You burned three of my straw men, so I'll whip you six times!"

"Why, why not three times?" Wenzhao weakly asked. "Because I'm a person who repays grudges, and I do it double." Zhao Xing broke Wenzhao's 'punishment ritual', stepping on his head, "According to your punishment ritual method, you should thank me now, or you might lose a layer of ritual cultivation."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm~" Wenzhao, pressed into the mud, couldn't speak because his head was firmly stepped on, his mouth full of mud. Observing closely, the golden light on Wenzhao's body grew weaker, while the red light grew stronger.

This was because he hadn't completed his own cultivation of the 'ritual'. The punishment ritual method activated, but without receiving the proper feedback, it turned negative instead. "Bang!" Zhao Xing stomped hard, shattering the golden light on Wenzhao's body.

The red light engulfed Wenzhao entirely, and he was backlashed by the magic arts, twitching in the mud before fainting. If his punishment ritual method was originally at the fifth tier, now only the fourth tier remained.

"I really hate you Li Xiu people, doing nothing but causing trouble!" Zhao Xing kicked his abdomen, sending Wenzhao flying a bit further. Poor Wenzhao, just recovered not long ago, was beaten into an injured state again.

Zhao Xing clapped his hands and turned around. His expression was somewhat solemn. In just this short time, Little Wildcat had almost finished eating the yellow chestnuts scattered on the ground.

"Creak, creak~" It chirped crisply, munching happily. "You really have a good appetite." Zhao Xing said helplessly.

"Meow~" Wildcat raised its paw, pushing the last one over. "Oh, you're too polite, as long as you're full, why leave one for me?"

"Meow?" Little Wildcat tilted its head, seemingly asking. Are you sure you don't want it?

"I'm just kidding, eat, eat, eat." Zhao Xing quickly picked up the yellow chestnut, blew off the dirt, then peeled the shell and tossed it into his mouth. The crispy chestnut provided Zhao Xing with 500 points of Yuan Qi.

He was one step closer to Gathering Essence stage eight. This effect was quite good, increasing his progress by twenty percent. However, for Wildcat, it didn't have much great effect. After eating so much, Zhao Xing didn't feel any significant change in Wildcat's aura.

"Meow~" Zhao Xing picked up the clay pot, breaking open the layer of mud sealing it. Little Wildcat's nose twitched, its pupils instantly dilating. A strong wine aroma wafted over, and Zhao Xing immediately felt his Yuan Qi become much more active.

"Monkey Wine?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up; this was a good thing. A fruit wine brewed with spiritual herbs, this pot could easily be worth over a thousand yellow chestnuts! He had just taken a whiff, and his Yuan Qi increased by 20 points!

Zhao Xing hadn't even had time to act when he saw Wildcat almost teleport to the pot's edge, its little head diving in. "Hey, hey, little kitty, you can't drink wine, you'll get drunk."

"Damn, leave some for me..." This thing had a great attraction for Wildcat, and in the blink of an eye, it had absorbed half of it. But hearing Zhao Xing's words, it left a side open, indicating Zhao Xing should come over and drink together.

A moment later. "Burp~" Both man and cat let out a wine burp. Wildcat shook its head, lying on the ground licking its paws. Zhao Xing also sat on the ground, cross-legged, cultivating.

He couldn't drink as much as Wildcat, only having a small portion before he had to stop. But even this small portion was enough for Zhao Xing to break through!

Half an hour later. Zhao Xing opened his eyes, the flush on his face receding significantly. He looked at his status.

[Gathering Essence Stage Eight: 7245/10000]

"Really powerful! Not only did I directly reach Gathering Essence stage eight, but my progress also reached seventy percent!" Zhao Xing let out a long breath.

He used the Five Elements Observation to check on Little Wildcat. He found that its aura had also increased slightly.

"You really can eat, if it weren't for following Sinoong, others might not be able to afford raising you." Zhao Xing patted Wildcat's head.

Raising an exotic beast, especially an entry-level one, was very consuming. It was only because Zhao Xing had this confidence that he dared to raise Wildcat even though he hadn't reached entry-level himself.

After waiting for an hour, the Diamond Bamboo matured, and Zhao Xing spent time crafting twenty powerful golden steel, ten divine straw men. All of them were of second-tier high-quality.

The rest were some ordinary vine branches and leaves made into scouting straw men. "Let's go!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and continued wandering the mountain.

...

On the third day of climbing Spirit Mountain, many joyful events occurred. Some found powerful pure Yuan spiritual herbs in mountain caves, directly leaping three stages to reach Gathering Essence stage nine.

Some obtained a rare orchid flower, gaining enlightenment from its petals, their body method directly advancing to Nine Turns Micro, instantly becoming a top-tier expert.

Others encountered high-quality spiritual herbs but had no way to harvest them, as if encountering a 'ghost hitting the wall', wandering back and forth, clearly having a strong response but not knowing the exact location.

There were also rumors that some areas of East Lake Mountain were guarded by terrifying exotic beasts, areas not to be touched by ordinary people, filled with natural treasures, but would only open after three days.

Some went to the incense place seeking spiritual herbs, fighting fiercely, even losing their lives over it. Others, feeling hopeless about the third night's incense fight, directly descended the mountain.

In the evening, people gathered at the Temple of Heaven Square, a safe area, to discuss the day's experiences. Among these joyful discussions, many mentioned a strange event.

"Have you heard? A strange beast appeared on the mountain, very terrifying."

"Are you talking about that cat? Of course, I've heard! It's said to be a cat raised by the mountain god."

"There are many exotic beasts in the mountain, what's so strange about a Wildcat?" someone scoffed.

"If it were just that, it would be fine, but this Wildcat specifically robs others of their spiritual herbs."

"Many experts were robbed by that cat, it's said that Wenzhao and Zhang Boran were among them."

"Huh? How strong is this Wildcat?"

"Though still young, it already has the strength of an entry-level."

"What's even stranger is that this Wildcat doesn't kill, but if you don't thank it after being robbed, it won't let you go, truly bizarre."

"..."

Du Jiaojiao, Liu Muqing, and Lu Qian were resting in a corner of the square, and upon hearing such strange rumors, they couldn't help but start chatting.

Lu Qian chuckled, "These people must be crazy, even spreading such absurd stories. Saying thank you and the Wildcat will let you go? It's simply nonsense!"

Liu Muqing said, "Maybe the pressure of climbing is too great, and someone had hallucinations."

Du Jiaojiao, wiping her silver gun, suddenly said, "Maybe that Wildcat is being raised by someone."

Lu Qian asked curiously, "Sister Jiao, what do you mean?"

Du Jiaojiao slowly said, "Today, when we were gathering spiritual herbs halfway up the mountain, we sensed the presence of a Wildcat from a distance."

"There was also a human aura nearby, very close, seemingly observing us for a while."

"What?" Lu Qian asked in surprise, "There's such a thing?"

"Who can tame a Wildcat?" Liu Muqing asked, "Could it be Yang Junxiong?"

"If it really is, then it's troublesome," Lu Qian frowned, "I'm afraid he'll dominate the incense fight again tonight."

"It shouldn't be him," Du Jiaojiao pondered, "It doesn't seem like it."

"No matter who it is, if it's really as Sister Jiao said, this person will definitely show up tonight."

Halfway up the mountain, Zhao Xing was leisurely climbing with the straw men on his back. He used Bright Eyes to look around, seeing people climbing from different directions.

"Tonight is the last opportunity, and it will also be the most lively night."

Meow~ Wildcat perked up its ears, seemingly triggered by a keyword.

"Hey, Big Cat, calm down. There will be a break."

Zhao Xing grabbed its tail; Wildcat wanted to rush out and cause trouble again. This lazy cat really liked to join in the fun, its stamina was amazing, even harder to tire out than a dog!

"We're going up the mountain now, can't delay any longer," Zhao Xing explained, "Don't worry, it's even more lively on the mountain, you'll have fun."

Wildcat obediently nestled back into Zhao Xing's arms. This time going up the mountain was very peaceful. No one dared to provoke Zhao Xing.

Because on the second night, he made a name for himself. Although Zhao Xing didn't report his family name, could the Young Master Zong resist boasting? In just one day, while promoting his own name, he also greatly praised Zhao Xing.

Even if they couldn't remember after going down the mountain, during these two days, Young Master Zong had to keep up appearances!

Besides the reputation. Zhao Xing's current cultivation was also vastly different from yesterday. After seizing many opportunities from various members, he had already reached Gathering Essence stage nine!

Relying on Wildcat's snowballing effect, he was almost unstoppable. To better snatch, Zhao Xing later didn't show his face, letting Big Cat handle it.

"Zhao Xing, over here!" Just entering the Temple of Heaven Square at the mountain top, he saw Zong Shichang waving at him. There were also a few familiar faces in the square.

Like Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and Li Chengfeng. They hadn't met in the past two days, but they had made significant progress. Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze had already reached Gathering Essence stage seven.

Li Chengfeng had gained something on the first night, and although he didn't show up on the second day, today he was already at Gathering Essence stage nine!

Yuan Method spiritual herbs, longevity spiritual herbs, any kind, most were for enhancing Yuan Qi, longevity was only a minority, which wasn't surprising.

In Zhao Xing's view, most of the lucky ones in the square, although their realms had improved, were all 'empty fat'. If the magic arts couldn't keep up, having cultivation was just a flower rack.

What puzzled Zhao Xing was that Li Chengfeng wasn't with Zong Shichang, the two had gathered separate groups, seemingly having some conflict, their relationship not as close as before.

"Zhao Top Three."

"It's Zhao Xing."

"Zhao Great Brother, mighty and powerful, Huailiu Courtyard, mighty and powerful!"

Entering the square, many greeted Zhao Xing, mainly because he made a big splash yesterday. During the incense fight, he defeated Cao Qiushui! That was a true noble!

"Good, good, hello everyone." Arriving at a crowded place, Zhao Xing couldn't keep up the act, holding Wildcat, he jumped off the chair.

"Oh, where did you pick up this little cat, it's so cute." Zong Shichang saw Wildcat and immediately wanted to pet it.

"Young Master, be careful!" Uncle Cang and Uncle Tiger's faces changed greatly, immediately blocking Zong Shichang.

Yuan Bo also had a serious expression, as if facing a great enemy.

"Hiss~" Zong Shichang felt the gaze of a fierce beast, looking at Wildcat's eyes, he instantly broke out in cold sweat, his legs went soft.

Fortunately, someone supported him, otherwise, he might have collapsed directly.

"Brother Zong, quickly thank it," Zhao Xing said.

"Huh? Oh, oh, thank you." Although Zong Shichang didn't know why, he quickly complied.

Seeing this, Wildcat indeed stopped hissing, shrinking back into Zhao Xing's arms.

"This, this is the Wildcat? You're the owner of the Wildcat?" Zong Shichang wiped his sweat.

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded.

"No, what's with this cat, why do I have to thank it?" Zong Shichang, hearing Zhao Xing was the owner, wasn't as scared, recalling the rumors he heard, he became curious.

Zhao Xing helplessly said, "It's a long story, but after I took it to fight a few times, it developed this quirk. You know cats always have strange personalities, it's hard for me to correct."

Zong Shichang deeply agreed, he loved teasing cats and walking dogs, knowing cats were quite hard to serve, sometimes not even knowing who the owner was.

After chatting for a while, Young Master Zong, forgetting the lesson, wanted to pet the cat again, "Can you sell this Wildcat? No matter how much money, I'll pay!"

Zhao Xing shook his head, "Brother Zong, a gentleman doesn't take what others love."

Mentioning gentlemen, Zong Shichang seemed to think of something, his expression a bit displeased, "What gentleman nonsense, I don't care. Fine, if you don't sell, bring it to my house more often."

"No problem," Zhao Xing casually agreed, scanning the square, "What's the situation now?"

Zong Shichang knew he was asking for information, immediately saying, "There have been new changes among the strong, that Gu Feng got some opportunity, just the eighth incense, he jumped from Gathering Essence stage eight to entry-level."

"Besides that, the number of Gathering Essence stage nine has increased a lot, like Cao Qiushui gathered seven Gathering Essence stage nine around him."

"Also, Du Jiaojiao's side, Lu Qian and Miss Liu, have also risen to Gathering Essence stage nine."

"I broke through to Gathering Essence stage seven, Uncle Cang and Uncle Tiger reached Gathering Essence stage nine."

"But among the first ten incense, there are also those who did poorly, Zhang Boran and Wenzhao, don't know why they were seriously injured."

"Hu Yang's mechanical beast lost one, seems like he didn't gain much."

"Yuan Bo said that Yang Junxiong's aura didn't change much, don't know how he managed this incense."

Zong Shichang pointed at the crowd in the square, as if he knew everyone like the back of his hand, "Overall, the number of members decreased, those who went down the mountain went down, those who died died, those who were injured were injured, but the number of high-realm people increased a bit. Because the first fifty incense all had a certain effect."

"Tonight is the last night for the members, before tomorrow morning, everyone must go down the mountain, so no one wants to miss this last opportunity, tonight will definitely be more intense... By the way, Zhao Top Three, what were Zhang Boran and Wenzhao looking at you for?"

(The end of this chapter)