Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Wen Qiao had stayed in the space for a few days, barely managing to nurture ten Zhusen Ling plants before Ning Yuzhou called her out.

Wen Qiuball had been happily snuggling next to Wen Qiao, serving as her furry cushion without complaint. Suddenly, little seedling disappeared. It chirped in confusion, tilted its head in thought, and finally realized that little seedling had been pulled away by Big Brother Ning. It couldn't help but chirp repeatedly in protest within the space.

Ten Zhusen Ling plants were not enough!

Ning Yuzhou ignored the big fur ball's protests in the space and said to Wen Qiao, "Qiao Leshui will be here soon."

Wen Qiao responded with an "oh," understanding his meaning.

If Qiao Leshui came and found her not outside the cave, it would be hard to explain. So it was better for her to come out of the space first.

When Qiao Leshui arrived, he seemed in a good mood.

Seeing Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou drinking tea in the hall, with two beasts munching on some white roots on the table, he couldn't help but ask, "What are Wen Tuantuan eating?"

He had been curious about what they were eating earlier. They looked so delicious that even if one wasn't hungry, they would still crave them.

"It's sea cane, very sweet. Do you want some?" Wen Qiao generously took out a basket to share with him.

So Qiao Leshui joined the two beasts, gnawing on the sea cane for a while before remembering why he came. He quickly cleared the spit-out residue and looked expectantly at Ning Yuzhou, asking, "Young Master Ning, did you finish refining the spirit pills?"

Ning Yuzhou nodded and handed over several pill bottles. "These are Five-Revolution Qingyang Pills, which repair the Sea of Consciousness. Take one per day. These are Yangyuan Pills; take one every ten days. And these are Ningyuan Pills; take one whenever you feel unwell."

Qiao Leshui blinked, hesitantly asking, "Are these Ningyuan Pills used to condense the primordial spirit and repair the soul?"

"Yes."

Receiving his confirmation, Qiao Leshui's expression turned serious, his tone bitter. "Young Master Ning, does my soul have a deficiency?"

Ning Yuzhou nodded, not hiding the truth. "You mentioned that you were ambushed half a year ago, with an episode occurring each month, totaling six episodes. The cumulative effect has damaged your soul's integrity. Fortunately, it hasn't been long, and even with the deficiency, it can be quickly restored. When the next episode occurs, I'll check your soul's condition."

The soul represents a cultivator's essence. Even if their physical body dies, as long as the soul remains, they can continue living through possession or by creating a new body.

This shows how crucial the soul's integrity is to a cultivator. If there is any deficiency, it not only affects cultivation but can also cause regression and lifelong stagnation.

Qiao Leshui's face darkened, his mood heavy, and even the good news about Feixian Island faded away.

Seeing this, Ning Yuzhou didn't offer any consolation.

It's impossible to truly understand the feelings of betrayal and abandonment unless one has experienced it firsthand. Only the person themselves can come to terms with it; others' comfort can only provide temporary solace, sometimes even having the opposite effect.

Ning Yuzhou changed the subject, "Have you obtained any information during your travels these past few days?"

Qiao Leshui quickly cheered up, saying excitedly, "I visited the city's information market and heard that Feixian Island's disciples will go to Tianzhi Plains in half a year."

"Tianzhi Plains?" Both Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou were puzzled.

Without hesitation, Qiao Leshui explained, "Tianzhi Plains is a dangerous area in the Flying Star Continent. Top sects send their disciples there periodically for trials. If the information is accurate, Feixian Island will join other sects for a trial in Tianzhi Plains this time, searching for something. I don't know if my brother will participate in this trial, but I'll wait at the entrance to see if I can meet him..."

Even if he doesn't meet him, he can still pass a message through Feixian Island's disciples.

After hearing this, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao didn't ask more but kept the "Tianzhi Plains trial" in mind.

If necessary, they could go and take a look. Their main goal, however, remained Qiao Leshan.

Qiao Leshui left with the spirit pills Ning Yuzhou gave him, returning to his rented cave to cultivate diligently.

This betrayal had transformed him completely, making him much more composed than before. If the elders of the Qiao family saw him now, they would be shocked.

Learning from experience, Qiao Leshui had finally grown.

After Qiao Leshui left, Ning Yuzhou temporarily stopped refining pills.

"Chui, do you want to go into the city?" Ning Yuzhou asked Wen Qiao.

Wen Qiao shook her head and countered, "Husband, are you going to buy something?"

"Not really. I want to visit the Pill Tower. Yesterday, I received a message from Zhu Ying inviting me to a pill exchange meeting today." Ning Yuzhou explained.

Wen Qiao then remembered the enthusiastic alchemists Zhu Ying and Guo Chengye they met when they first arrived in Danfu City. They had always wanted to invite her husband to the Pill Tower for alchemy exchanges.

Since Wen Qiao had no interest in alchemy and the Pill Tower was off-limits to non-alchemists, she couldn't accompany him and said, "Then I'll stay in the space. I promised Wen Qiuball to nurture more Zhusen Ling plants. I only managed ten, and Wen Qiuball won't be satisfied."

"Don't nurture more," Ning Yuzhou said. "It's fine for now."

"How can it be fine? Wen Qiuball always hopes for a valley full of Zhusen Ling plants. I can't give it a valley, but I can give it a field of Zhusen Ling plants." Wen Qiao looked earnest, unwilling to disappoint Wen Qiuball.

Unexpectedly, Ning Yuzhou said, "Isn't it because once there are enough Zhusen Ling plants for Wen Qiuball to gather fairy honey, it will lay eggs?"

Wen Qiao widened her eyes in surprise. "How did you know?" Did her husband know that Wen Qiuball had been talking about laying eggs for her?

For some reason, Wen Qiao felt guilty, though she wasn't sure why.

Fortunately, Ning Yuzhou didn't think much of it and calmly said, "You said it yourself."

Wen Qiao was shocked. When did she say Wen Qiuball wanted to lay eggs for her? She never said anything like that!

Ning Yuzhou finally noticed her guilty expression and slightly narrowed his eyes, his voice unchanged. "Didn't you say that there were many small fur balls in the valley where Wen Qiuball lived? For a beast like Wen Qiuball, born for Zhusen Ling, although not bees, it shares similarities with them. Wen Qiuball is like a queen bee. Once food is abundant, it will definitely want to lay small fur balls."

Wen Qiao fell silent, realizing it wasn't what she had thought.

Then she heard Ning Yuzhou say, "If Wen Qiuball lays a nest of small fur balls, will the space be able to hold so many?"

Thinking back to the fur balls in the valley, Wen Qiao was suddenly alarmed.

The space is indeed too small; it's not even enough to grow spirit grass. How could there possibly be room for a nest of fluffy balls?

"So, for now, it's necessary to limit the number of beasts in the space. Wen Guangun will have to hold off on laying eggs until my cultivation improves and the space expands. Then I can allocate a valley for Wen Guangun to raise little fluffies." Ning Yuzhou finished with a questioning tone, "Chui, what do you think?"

Wen Qiao's expression was serious. "Husband, you're right. The space can't support too many beasts right now. Wen Guangun should hold off on laying eggs."

We need to manage population control so that we don't end up with too many beasts without a place to live.

Seeing that she had understood, Ning Yuzhou's lips curled slightly. "Of course, Zhu Xianling can continue to grow for Wen Guangun, but you need to discuss it with it first, to avoid overpopulating the space with too many little fluffies."

Wen Qiao replied, "I understand. I'll talk to Wen Guangun about it. We'll control the number of Zhu Xianling plants to ensure Wen Guangun has enough Xianling honey to eat."

Wen Qiao then entered the space to discuss with Wen Guangun.

Wen Guangun initially thought Wen Qiao had come to accompany it and plant Zhu Xianling, but instead heard such bad news.

"Wen Guangun, do you understand?" Wen Qiao said solemnly. "The space is still small, and it's very taxing for Brother Ning to maintain it. I can't keep pushing him either. After all, even when you urge an ox to work, you let it rest and graze. We can't expect Brother Ning to cultivate tirelessly like an old ox, right?"

Outside the space, Ning Yuzhou, who was secretly eavesdropping, remained silent.

Fortunately, Wen Guangun was a very laid-back big fluffy ball. It understood and accepted the situation. Since the space was too small to lay eggs, it wouldn't lay any.

Without the pressure of reproduction, Wen Guangun lazily sprawled out in the Zhu Xianling field, unmoving.

Wen Qiao: "..."

Was something wrong? Why did Wen Guangun seem so lazy? Even Wen Guangun was more industrious than it.

In response to her doubts, Wen Guangun explained that as long as it was well-fed, it didn't need to worry about the family.

Without the burden of supporting a family, Wen Guangun didn't need to be too diligent.

Even if it did lay eggs, it would still have no family burden because, as the queen, the little fluffies would take care of it.

Wen Qiao couldn't quite grasp Wen Guangun's logic but didn't say anything further. After a brief conversation, she left the space.

Then, they both left their rented cave abode.

"I heard that there's a challenge arena in Danfu City where cultivators can spar and exchange skills. Low-level cultivators can challenge high-level ones. Chui, if you're bored, you can go and spar."

Ning Yuzhou suggested this, unwilling to leave her waiting idly outside the Alchemy Tower. Besides, since arriving in the Flying Star Continent, Wen Qiao hadn't fought much except for the battle against bandits outside Yunping City. She needed to familiarize herself with the combat styles of cultivators here.

To help her, Ning Yuzhou gave her several Earth-grade talismans, telling her to use them freely during sparring matches. He would replenish them later.

Wen Qiao accepted the talismans happily. "I'll go spar and wait for you to finish at the Alchemy Tower."

"Alright," Ning Yuzhou smiled at her. "I'm not sure how long I'll be inside, but I'll definitely come out by the end of the month."

Wen Qiao then took Ning Yuzhou to the Alchemy Tower.

The Alchemy Tower was a landmark in Danfu City, located in the city center with a large square around it. The majestic tower stood tall and could be seen from afar.

Upon arrival, they found Zhu Ying and Guo Chengye already waiting. They warmly greeted Ning Yuzhou, calling him "Brother Ning."

Wen Qiao listened to these "Brother Nings" and thought that her husband had gained two more brothers.

Zhu Ying, being thorough, noticed Wen Qiao standing nearby with a cool demeanor and asked, "Brother Ning, who is this...?"

Although they had exchanged names before, they hadn't had a chance to get to know each other deeply. They wanted to make sure they knew her identity to avoid offending anyone unknowingly.

Though Wen Qiao couldn't fully guess their thoughts, she understood their intentions and marveled at how soft-spoken the alchemists of the Flying Star Continent were, unlike those in Shengwu Continent, who often looked down on others.

"This is Wen Qiao, my fiancée."

"Ah, Sister-in-law."

Wen Qiao: "..."

They were already calling her "sister-in-law"; they certainly were quick to become familiar.

"Brother Ning, let's go inside. Several Earth-grade alchemists and alchemists from the Danfu Sect are here today. This Alchemy Conference will be lively."

"I heard that Master Chen from the Danfu Sect is also here. Let's hurry and find a good spot."

"Brother Ning, let's go."

Under their urging, Ning Yuzhou turned to Wen Qiao. "Chui, I'll go in first."

Wen Qiao nodded, watching them enter the Alchemy Tower safely before leaving. She headed towards the nearby challenge arena with Wen Tuti and Wen Guangun.

Like many cultivation cities, Danfu City prohibited fighting within its walls. If there were any life-and-death feuds, they could be settled outside the city or at the challenge arena. Initially, the challenge arena was set up to provide a place for cultivators to spar and expend their energy, as well as to earn some spirit stones. Over time, it became a place to settle personal grievances.

Of course, the primary purpose of the challenge arena was still for cultivators to spar and challenge each other.

Upon arriving at the challenge arena, Wen Qiao first inquired about the rules.

Each cultivator wishing to spar must pay a fee to the arena organizers as an entry fee. They can then choose whether to be the arena master defending their position or a challenger taking on higher-ranked cultivators.

Being an arena master requires a certain level of strength. Losing three consecutive matches means losing the title of arena master.

In contrast, being a challenger has fewer requirements; one just needs sufficient spirit stones to choose any arena master.

Both the arena master and the challenger must pay an entry fee, with clear rules on the amount. The loser pays the winner the spirit stones.

Wen Qiao thought for a moment and said, "I want to be a challenger today."

The staff member leading her glanced at her and asked with a smile, "Lady, you are at the late-stage Yuankong realm. Do you wish to challenge a senior at the early-stage Yuanling realm?"

"Yes."

"The fairy will need to pay one thousand spirit stones. If the fairy loses, these one thousand spirit stones will be given to the arena champion."

Wen Qiao paused for a moment, thinking that paying one thousand spirit stones for sparring with an early-stage Yuanling cultivator wasn't too expensive.

The challenge arenas in Danfu City had champions of various cultivation levels, and it was said that even Yuanhuang realm champions existed. However, Yuanhuang realm champions were of such high rank that they rarely accepted challenges. Even if they did, the amount of spirit stones required was beyond what ordinary cultivators could afford.

Wen Qiao's purpose in coming to the challenge arena was to get accustomed to the fighting style of the Flying Star Continent, so she didn't intend to challenge anyone too powerful. She planned to start with an early-stage Yuanling cultivator and gradually work her way up.

The challenge arena was in an open-air space, with ten arenas set up in a large area. At this time, all ten arenas had both champions and challengers. The resting areas surrounding them, enclosed by railings, were filled with many cultivators who had paid specifically to watch the battles.

The staff member asked Wen Qiao, "Fairy, which arena would you like to challenge?"

Wen Qiao looked around. There were ten arenas here, each with a Yuanling pulse champion. Among them, three were early-stage Yuanling cultivators, while the others were mid- or late-stage. The challengers included both Yuankong realm and Yuanling realm cultivators, all one minor level below their respective champions.

Just then, on one of the arenas, the champion knocked the challenger out of the ring, ending the battle.

Wen Qiao pointed at the bear-like champion on the arena and said, "I'll challenge this one."