Su Wanqing turned back to look at the pangolin's wound again, her heart filling with astonishment.
She was no delicate flower. With her extensive experience in Magical Combat, she immediately recognized how peculiar the wound was.
It wasn't a Magical Artifact or any outside help. A simple Fireball Technique had completely pierced the pangolin and bored a bottomless pit into the ground.
Even if she hadn't worn it down first, the pangolin would have never survived that fireball. It would have been killed instantly.
A Xiao Chen with this kind of power was definitely more than he seemed.
He wasn't the lucky fool from the reports who'd stumbled into an epiphany. He was an expert who hid his true strength.
'In that case, I can't let this opportunity slip by.'
Taking small, hurried steps, she caught up to Xiao Chen and carefully sized up the Fox Fur Bundle at his side.
A sweet smile bloomed on Su Wanqing's face. "Ahem, Xiao, I was just joking earlier. You killed this pangolin, so of course, it's your prize."
"Oh, look at the time, it's almost Noon. Are you hungry?"
As she spoke, she waved her right hand over her waist and produced a small wooden box. "What a coincidence you're passing by just as I was about to have lunch. Why don't we eat together?"
Huh?
Xiao Chen was a little taken aback. 'Are we that familiar with each other?'
This young lady of the Su Family was squinting, a smile on her face like the cat that got the canary. It was obvious she was up to no good.
He found it hard to believe she was genuinely inviting him to a meal.
Besides, it was 9:45 AM at the latest. Noon was still at least an hour away; it wasn't time for lunch.
"Uh, I'm not that hungry. You can go ahead and eat, Senior Sister Su. I have things to do, so I'll be on my way."
He politely refused and turned to leave.
However, Su Wanqing rushed in front of him in one swift movement, spreading her arms to block his path.
"Wait a minute! I still have something to tell you. I've heard Instructor Wu talk about you—the Senior Brother Xiao who entered the sect two years before me but has been stuck at the first level of Qi Refining. That's you, right?"
*Hiss...* 'She actually recognized me. I guess I can't just walk away now.'
"That's right. But I'm only at the fifth level of Qi Refining now. Senior Sister Su, please stop joking with me."
Xiao Chen pointed out the difference in their Cultivation levels, deliberately placing himself in the weaker position.
"I told you, it was just a joke. Don't worry about it. Let me introduce myself. I'm Su Wanqing from the Su Family of Bihua Lake, and I'm currently in the Fourth Division."
Xiao Chen pointed at her chest. "Mhm, I can see that."
Her gauze dress was very thin, and they were standing very close at the moment.
Xiao Chen could clearly see the characters for "Wan" and "Qing" embroidered into the center of two lotus flowers on her "Carp Leaping Among Lotuses" dress. He could also smell the faint scent of camellia.
He guessed it was probably from a sachet or some kind of perfume, but this particular fragrance was especially pleasant.
Seeing him looking, Su Wanqing's face flushed, but she just stuck her chest out and nonchalantly changed the subject. "In a hurry to hunt more Spirit Beasts?"
"Is that bundle full of Jade Tokens? Your practical combat skills seem a little *too* strong, don't they?"
Her tone held a hint of giddy excitement at having discovered Xiao Chen's secret, mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity.
But her eyes, fixed on his, made her seem absolutely certain.
Xiao Chen's gaze drifted past her slender neck, settling on her slim waist.
As she spoke, her left hand subconsciously drifted lower, as if there were something she was protecting there.
'Considering she pulled that lunchbox out of thin air, she must have a Defense Type Magical Artifact in her Storage Bag.'
'Makes sense. Why would someone from the Direct Lineage of a major family risk being killed by a Ghost-faced Spider just to participate in this so-called trial?'
'If she's here, she must have an ace up her sleeve.'
'In other words, she must have a Magical Artifact there, or a similar trump card, capable of blocking an attack from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.'
'Wait, did she just say she was from the Fourth Division?'
'That means she started two days after me.'
Xiao Chen prided himself on making good time over the past five days. He should have been among the first wave of disciples by now, yet here she was, even farther ahead, hunting a pangolin.
He had originally assumed she was a senior sister from the First Division, who had left earlier.
But now it seemed she'd caught up from behind, which meant she must also have some method for rapid travel.
'Damn. Having a powerful family really makes a guy jealous.'
Setting aside his initial impression, Xiao Chen carefully considered her actions and asked, "Senior Sister Su... I mean, Junior Sister Su, are you interested in my Jade Tokens?"
"No, I'm interested in you."
The words left her mouth, and Su Wanqing quickly added, "I mean, I'm very interested in the methods you used to hunt so many Spirit Beasts so quickly."
"Would you be willing to tell me how you did it?"
Xiao Chen shook his head. "No."
Su Wanqing sheathed her Flying Sword and raised a hand to the heavens to swear an oath. "Are you afraid I'll tell someone? I promise, I absolutely won't breathe a word to anyone."
"Sorry, but I won't be telling anyone either." Xiao Chen turned to leave in a different direction. "I need to keep moving. Goodbye, Junior Sister Su."
Su Wanqing reached out and grabbed Xiao Chen's sleeve. "Xiao, don't go yet! Let me show you something, okay?"
"Junior Sister Su, please let go. It's not appropriate for us to be grabbing at each other like this."
"I think it's perfectly appropriate. And I guarantee you'll be interested in this Magical Artifact. I can even demonstrate it for you right now. I promise you'll want it the second you see it."
"..."
"Since you're not objecting, I'll take that as a yes."
Su Wanqing giggled, letting go of his sleeve. She rummaged in the Storage Bag at her waist for a moment before a Cloak appeared in her hand. "TA-DA! A Stealth Cloak."
"As long as you wear this Cloak, no cultivator below the Foundation Establishment realm will be able to see through your identity."
"Even if you run into a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and they try to probe you with their Divine Sense, the warning runes on the Cloak will light up to alert you in time."
With that, Su Wanqing unfolded the Cloak and draped it over herself.
Immediately, she began to emit a completely different fluctuation of Magical Power and a different aura. It was like she was a completely different person.
"What do you think? It's amazing, right?"
"Make one little trade with me, and I'll give this Cloak to you right now."
As she spoke those last two sentences, even her voice changed, becoming that of an unfamiliar young man. You couldn't tell at all that it was a young woman underneath.
*Hiss...* 'This Cloak really is something else!'
After seeing its cloaking effect, Xiao Chen found that he really wanted a Magical Artifact like this.
A disguise like this was an essential tool for all sorts of activities: robbing the rich to help the poor, executing clandestine operations, making a fortune on the sly...
In certain situations, it could even have other, unexpected uses.
Although he was tempted, Xiao Chen remained calm and asked, "What's the trade? I'm listening. But let's get one thing straight: you can't ask me how I'm able to kill the Spirit Beasts."
Su Wanqing took off the Cloak, revealing a radiant smile. "No problem! My requests are very, very simple for you."
"First, sell me some of your Jade Tokens to help me compete in the rankings. The divisions are ranked independently, so we're not in competition with each other."
Xiao Chen nodded. "That's fine. My price is three Spirit Stones per point. I can sell you half of my Jade Tokens."
The request wasn't difficult. He had to sell them to someone, and just as Su Wanqing said, there was no competition between the Second Division and the Fourth Division's rankings.
"Second, in exchange, after you join the Inner Sect in the future, you have to support my bid to become this generation's Chief Disciple."
Xiao Chen was filled with a sudden sense of respect.
He wouldn't have guessed it. Su Wanqing seemed so gentle on the surface, but she harbored such ambitions.
The Chief Disciple was the most representative and outstanding member of their generation of Sect Disciples.
Their Cultivation didn't necessarily have to be the highest, but they absolutely had to have a large number of followers and the ability to unite the other disciples.
In the future, if they managed to cultivate to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, they would have a very high chance of becoming the next Sect Leader.
After all, what Golden Core True Man had time to manage the sect's trivial affairs? For several generations in a row, the Li Huo Sect had been run by an Acting Sect Leader who was a former Chief Disciple.
"I only have these two conditions. It's a great deal for you, isn't it?"
Su Wanqing said this with great confidence, because the conditions did indeed sound incredibly generous.
A trade was meant to be mutually beneficial, and the support she asked for was a matter for the distant future. For Xiao Chen, it was essentially a risk-free deal with guaranteed profit.
This, in turn, made him suspicious. 'Could there be some hidden catch to this Chief Disciple position?'