Grasping Evil

Chapter 189(2): Core Formation (2)

Just as the lady was about to stand up and move away from the pit, her eyes flashed with a glint of mischief while her lips curled into a grin. She shook off the shoe on her left leg, causing it to drop into the fire pit.

“Help me to retrieve the shoe before it’s burnt into ashes. Then I’ll grant you the chance to enter the fifth floor.”

“Oh? It’s just a trivial matter.”

Ning Fan who was a little stunned by her request immediately leaped into the fire pit.

Although the Earth Vein Demonic Flame was scorching hot, Ning Fan did not have the slightest fear in facing it because of his Yin Yang Locket. In contrast, the Green Phoenix Flame who had already gained spirituality considered Ning Fan as a threat to it and separated into two sides, creating a path for him.

He stretched out his hand and grabbed the shoe. Within a few seconds, he got out from the pit. Not even a hair on his body was burnt.

“Not bad…” The young lady gave a small compliment to Ning Fan. Before she got the shoe back from him, she paused, with the corner of her mouth rising up, forming into a faint smirk. She then stretched her left leg towards Ning Fan.

“Help me put on my shoe…”

“Help you put on your shoe? This request is rather different from the previous one…” Ning Fan’s eyebrows were tightly knitted as he could not see through what’s in her head.

Is this an act to humiliate me or a test? This lady sure is difficult to serve.

Ning Fan let out a sigh and squatted down. He was trying his best to help her put on the shoe without touching any part of her leg.

However, the lady intentionally rubbed her leg against Ning Fan’s hand.

(It was kind of weird to say that she was flirting with Ning Fan as her expression remained frosty.)

Just as her foot fit into the shoe, Ning Fan retreated five steps away and cupped his fists toward the lady.

“Mistress Bei, are you satisfied now?”

“Yes. I’m really satisfied… This is the emblem that proves you are a Fifth Revolution Pill Master of the Lost World Palace. As for the registration, I’ll ask for someone to do it for you. You can leave now. With this badge, you can enter the fifth floor and enjoy a 40% discount. We’ll keep your identity secret since it’s one of the rules of the Lost World Palace. So you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Then, please excuse me. I shall take my leave now.”

Ning Fan replied to her with cupped fists once again.

Right after he vanished, the young lady shut the stone door and asked, “Stone Warrior, what do you think of this man?”

All of a sudden, a stone man revealed himself in front of the lady. His eye sockets were hollow and it was as if he was a lifeless stone statue. However, his presence emanated a Spirit Severing Realm aura.

“Reporting to Mistress Xiao Man, this man might possess some kind of treasure that can conceal himself from the heavens. I could not examine him, but he must possess Immemorial Devil Veins. But he isn’t whom you’re looking for. Furthermore, those who possess the Immemorial Divine Veins or Immemorial Devil Veins in the Nine Worlds were already recruited by the Godly Void Pavilion and given the positions that guarantee their ascension to the Four Heavens.”

“Oh really? Then this person is useless to me… Never mind. Maybe I was just thinking too much. However, this person is quite interesting. He was able to achieve Fifth Revolution in his skill in pill refinement although he only possesses low-grade Immemorial Devil Veins. Stone Warrior. Tell me what the changes of his heartbeat was just now.”

“Yes! When he entered the palace, his heart skipped once every ten breaths. It’s normal for a Half-Step Gold Core Realm cultivator. When he saw mistress, his heartbeat remained the same. When mistress probed him using the Profound Yin, Killing Sense of Gui, there was still no change in his heartbeat. The rate of his heartbeat remained undisturbed even when he failed in melting the third herb and also when mistress granted him the permission to enter the fifth floor…”

“Oh?! Interesting. He really has such a steady mind. I’m afraid he won’t succumb to woman’s beauty. He wasn’t even afraid of my killing intent. Moreover, he’s a person who won’t be proud of his victory and be discouraged when he is defeated. However, I don’t believe that his heart was as still as iron when I teased him with my leg…”

“A man like him shouldn’t be considered as a man if he really felt nothing when being touched by a woman with beauty that can topple cities like mistress. Therefore, like what mistress expected, his heartbeat changed during that moment. In fact, his heartbeat sped up. But it was still beating once every nine breaths. The change was not significant at all. In contrast, it was mistress’ heartbeat that…”

“What? What happened to me?!”

“When mistress tried to seduce him, mistress’ heartbeat was thumping twice the normal speed… Did mistress fall for this man?”

“Nonsense!” The young lady’s eyes blazed with anger and crushed Stony Army with a slap.

Within a second, the stone statue which was smashed into pieces revived and returned to its original appearance. He bowed deeply as a sign of apology and turned invisible again.

“A man whose heart is as hard as steel… It’s my first time meeting such a man. I shall officially take him as my servant after he forms his core…”

Suddenly, a blood-red intent continuously flashed in her eyes.

“Apparently, I have just stimulated the Killing Intent of Gui Star… The blood in my veins is boiling… This feeling is so uncomfortable… I have to kill some people to vent out this feeling which is driving me mad.”

In a blink of an eye, she vanished from the stone chamber. Some unlucky people were about to die under her hands. However, no one would dare to oppose her because she was Bei Xiao Man, the daughter of a True Immortal.

…

After he obtained the Fifth Revolution Pill Master badge, he met no resistance while entering the Lost World Tower. Aside from that, the Spirit Severing Realm old monster of the tower requested to secretly meet him.

“Young friend, it’s really hard to believe that you’re a Fifth Revolution Pill Master when you’re just a Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivator… I’ve never met any cultivator as brilliant as you in my whole life!”

The Early Spirit Severing old monster was an old man known as Lu Qing. He wore a silver robe which gave off a heavy smell of herbs. He was also a Fifth Revolution Pill Master.

“Thank you Senior Lu. Anyways, junior intends to stay in the fifth floor and cultivate for 10 years.”

“10 years? *Cough* According to your current identity, you can enjoy a discount of 40%. So it will be 5.76 million in total. You can enter straight into the fifth floor after you pass me the immortal jade. You’ll have your own place to cultivate in that floor and there’s nothing to worry about in there overall. But there are two disadvantages of cultivating within the tower that I am obliged to tell you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Firstly, once this tower is activated, the time can never be altered. For example, activating the fifth floor for 10 years is equivalent to 320 years. During this period, you cannot leave. In other words, if you failed to form your core, you’ll most likely die in the tower. I can only retrieve your remains after the determined activation time ends. Of course, the Lost World Palace will bear the cost of burying your corpse. However, if you want to bury your corpse in your hometown, you may leave the address of your hometown or a relative’s contact and we’ll act accordingly. A price will be charged based on how far your hometown is.”

“Thank you for your reminder, Senior Lu. Junior is confident enough to attain success in Core Formation. Therefore, there’s no need for me to think about funeral affairs…” Ning Fan let out a wry smile. To him, the Lost World Palace indeed provided a thorough service which even included the funeral affairs of cultivators. To the cultivators of the cultivation world, being buried in their hometowns is considered a privilege.

“I guess I’ve been too talkative. Additionally, any Immortal Abode’s Magical Treasure cannot be opened inside the tower. That is to say, no human cauldrons in the treasure could be summoned in the tower even if you bring them in. Furthermore, the time in the Immortal Abode’s Magical Treasure is not affected by the power of the tower…”

“Oh? There’s something like this?”

Ning Fan was slightly surprised.

If that’s the case, I can’t pluck any of the girls in my cauldron ring. I have no other choice but to pluck the two Nascent Soul Realm female demons only after I leave the tower.

Actually, the second rule was relatively fair. The Lost World Palace would be in a disadvantage if Ning Fan brings along all his girls into the fifth floor to cultivate at the same price.

“That’s all. Young friend may go and prepare yourself. After a short while, I’ll send someone to guide you into the tower.”

…

Three days later, Ning Fan appeared in a place which had beautiful mountains and rivers. The spiritual qi in the vast heaven and earth was abundant. Ning Fan stood in midair and closed his eyes.

“No killings. No probing. Only… cultivating!”

He was going to spend 320 years in this place to form his core!