If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

From behind the bushes, Mo Chengyue squinted and saw the battle situation ahead.

Good guy.

Isn't that a coincidence?

In the center of the open space, a figure was fiercely fighting with a giant beast.

The woman was dressed in the light blue disciple's robes of Yingtian Peak, and had a tall figure.

It was none other than Senior Sister Xiao Qinghan, who had been searching for cultivation techniques in the Sutra Repository just a few days ago.

Her opponent was a colossal beast.

The behemoth was covered in crimson scales, its muscles were bulging, and it even had three lion heads.

Each head had a mane like a burning flame, and when it opened its mouth, it would spew out scorching fireballs, scorching the ground black.

"A three-headed fire-patterned lion?"

Mo Chengyue recognized the thing.

The demonic beast, formed from spiritual energy, is roughly at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. It has thick skin and tough flesh, making it quite troublesome.

At this moment, Xiao Qinghan's situation was clearly not good.

The longsword in her hand was dim in its spiritual light, and her true energy was clearly insufficient when she swung it.

His breathing was rapid, and his chest was heaving.

Her delicate face was pale from excessive consumption of her true energy.

"roar!"

The three-headed fire-patterned lion sensed the prey's weakness.

The middle head roared, while the other two heads opened their mouths simultaneously.

It unleashed two intersecting streams of flame, sealing off all of Xiao Qinghan's escape routes.

Xiao Qinghan clenched her teeth.

She poured all her remaining true energy into the longsword, which emitted a mournful cry and barely managed to erect a cyan sword energy shield.

boom!

The flames and the protective shield collided violently.

A violent shockwave of spiritual energy exploded outwards, and Xiao Qinghan let out a muffled groan as she was violently blasted away.

She adjusted her body in mid-air, and staggered back seven or eight steps before regaining her balance upon landing, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"puff."

Her hand holding the sword trembled violently, and the web between her thumb and forefinger was cracked from the impact.

The three fiery lions charged forward again with earth-shaking momentum.

A hint of despair finally appeared on her beautiful face.

The only option was to crush the token and be eliminated early.

Although I'm unwilling, it's better than dying here.

Just as Xiao Qinghan was about to give up and reached for the trial token at her waist...

A lazy and cynical male voice suddenly came from the nearby woods.

"Hi, senior sister."

"Are you fighting the boss alone? Do you need technical support?"

The sudden sound made Xiao Qinghan and the fire-patterned lion pause for a moment.

Both the human and the beast turned their heads in unison to look at the source of the sound.

A young man dressed in ordinary disciple's robes was slowly strolling out of the woods.

He had a handsome face and a harmless smile. As he walked, he patted the dust off his hands.

It was Mo Chengyue.

"Is it you?"

When Xiao Qinghan saw who it was, a look of surprise appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Isn't this the guy from the library who helped me find the notes and then gossiped and teased his junior brother?

How did he end up here?

Mo Chengyue grinned at her, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Senior sister has a good memory, we meet again."

But he was frantically planning in his mind.

Xie Buci accepted the "sending warmth" task assigned by Lao Liu. Wasn't this just a godsend when someone was sleepy?

This kind of free goodwill is too good to pass up.

"roar!"

The three-headed fire-patterned lion doesn't care whether you're from the same hometown or not.

Its meal was interrupted by a tiny creature that suddenly appeared, whose six eyes on its three heads simultaneously blazed with angry light.

The head on the left suddenly swung, unleashing a fireball the size of a washbasin.

Trailing a long, fiery tail, it slammed towards Mo Chengyue!

"Junior brother, be careful!"

Xiao Qinghan gasped in shock.

She had personally experienced the power of this fireball; an ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivator would be severely injured, if not killed, if hit by it.

However, Mo Chengyue neither dodged nor avoided the situation.

He simply raised his right hand lazily and flicked his finger.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind shot out and struck the side of the fireball precisely.

The menacing fireball traced a strange arc in the air.

It flew past Mo Chengyue's clothes and crashed into the stone wall behind him with a loud bang.

Pebbles flew everywhere.

Not a single hair on Mo Chengyue's head was out of place.

He blew on his fingers and pursed his lips.

"this one?"

"The power is good, but the accuracy is too poor and needs to be adjusted."

This nonchalant attitude completely baffled the three-headed fire-patterned lion.

This left Xiao Qinghan, who was standing to the side, completely stunned.

Is this junior brother... really that strong?

"roar!!!"

The three-headed fire-patterned lion was utterly enraged.

Being provoked like this by a weak human was something its dignity as a mythical beast could not tolerate.

It abandoned Xiao Qinghan, who was right next to it, and its three heads roared simultaneously.

With its powerful limbs, it transformed into a red blur and pounced madly towards Mo Chengyue!

"Well done!"

Mo Chengyue did not retreat but advanced.

His footwork shifted, and he moved nimbly around the massive body of the Fire Lion.

He didn't confront them head-on.

He would occasionally extend his finger and lightly tap the joints, waist, and other vulnerable areas of the Fire Lion.

Or simply take out a few blank talisman papers of the lowest grade.

Infuse a wisp of spiritual energy, transforming it into a ball of light or a sound, and throw it at the eyes and ears of the Fire Lion.

Harassment.

Extreme harassment.

Mo Chengyue was like an annoying fly at this moment, impossible to kill or get rid of.

The Fire-Patterned Lion roared in anger, its three heads spewing flames wildly.

The giant claws slapped wildly, but could never touch the hem of Mo Chengyue's clothes.

Xiao Qinghan stood aside, having recovered from her shock.

She was once a genius of Yingtian Peak, with a keen sense of combat.

She quickly understood Mo Chengyue's intentions.

This junior brother wasn't fighting; he was just "playing around."

Each of his seemingly casual attacks perfectly disrupted the Fire Lion's attack rhythm.

Each seemingly useless disturbance caused Fire Lion's attention to momentarily shift.

And all of these are flaws.

"Senior sister, what are you standing there for? The gua sha master has already thinned your skin."

"If you don't deliver a fatal blow, I'll be responsible for the KPI!"

Mo Chengyue's confident voice came through.

Xiao Qinghan blushed, feeling both annoyed and amused.

What time is it, still talking about KPIs?

Without hesitation, she immediately gripped the longsword tightly again.

Although there wasn't much true energy left in his body, he had recovered some after catching his breath for a while.

She took a deep breath, her eyes sharpening again.

opportunity.

Just as Mo Chengyue successfully used a flashing talisman once again.

When the light blinded the dog's eyes of the Fire Lion's central head, the Fire Lion's movements froze for half a second.

Right now.

"The Azure Phoenix Sword Manual".

Xiao Qinghan let out a delicate shout, and her whole being became one with the long sword in her hand.

Transforming into a streak of azure light, it instantly circled around to the side and rear of the Fire-Patterned Lion.

That was where Mo Chengyue's frequent attacks had caused cracks to appear on the scales.

puff.

The longsword pierced the crack without any resistance, disappearing all the way to the hilt.

"Aww—"

The three-headed fire-patterned lion let out a deafening, agonizing roar.

Its massive body struggled violently, its three heads frantically trying to turn back and bite.

But how could Mo Chengyue possibly give it a chance?

Unbeknownst to him, he had already laid out a very simple "foot-binding formation" at the feet of the Fire-Patterned Lion using a few inconspicuous stones.

At this moment, he clasped his hands together.

"rise."

hum.

On the ground, several ropes made of spiritual energy burst forth from the earth and tightly bound the Fire-Patterned Lion's limbs.

Although it could only trap it for a moment, it was enough for Xiao Qinghan.

"burst."

She suddenly drew her longsword, releasing a large spray of scalding hot spiritual blood.

At the pierced wound, violent sword energy exploded out.

The mournful cry of the three-headed fire-patterned lion abruptly ceased.

Its massive body froze in place, then silently disintegrated into countless golden specks of light.

On the open ground, only two figures remained, panting.

Xiao Qinghan leaned on her sword, her chest heaving violently, sweat soaking her temples and back, outlining her captivating curves.

She looked at her junior brother, who was clapping his hands and had a "done and done" expression on his face, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Thank you for your help, junior brother."

She thanked him sincerely, her voice still a little weak.

"It was just a small favor, nothing to mention."

Mo Chengyue waved his hand, acting as if he was just passing by.

"First, the library answered my questions, and now it's here that I've been saved from dire straits..."

Xiao Qinghan looked at him and said softly.

"Junior brother helped me twice; I am deeply grateful and will never thank you. I will remember your kindness."

Mo Chengyue quickly waved his hand, revealing an embarrassed and simple-minded look.

"Senior sister, you're too kind. It's only natural for fellow disciples to help each other."

"Besides, I didn't do much; it was all thanks to my senior sister's superb swordsmanship."

His words further increased Xiao Qinghan's positive feelings towards him.

Be humble and polite, neither arrogant nor impatient.