Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

"Shushu, look at this for me. Where did Shi Shangxu go?"

The mouse poked its head out of the small bag, its pink nose twitched, and it pointed west with its paw:

"Westward. The woods twenty kilometers away."

Yu Luoning nodded and did some mental calculations.

Since Shi Shangxu is heading west, why not use your teleportation technique to bypass him beforehand, intercept him on the way, and have a romantic encounter?

Without hesitation, Yu Luoning immediately used the teleportation technique to travel forty kilometers away.

On the other side, Shi Shangxu traveled west along the mountain road, enjoying beautiful scenery and fresh air along the way.

He did not choose to travel by sword because the spiritual energy in the Eastern Treasure Continent was thin, and sword travel would consume a lot of spiritual energy, which was not worthwhile.

He didn't bring any attendants, intending to travel and observe the local customs and culture before heading to Dongbao Shangzong.

The Eastern Treasure Sect is located on Heavenly Book Mountain at the westernmost tip of the continent. The mountain range stretches for thousands of miles, with surging seas of clouds. It would take at least two months to travel there from Phoenix Perch City. Fortunately, the assessment is on the winter solstice, so there is still plenty of time.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the shadows of the trees along the mountain road stretched long.

Shi Shangxu found an open space by a pond, stopped, lit a campfire, and caught a few fish from the pond before cleaning them up.

As long as the assessment time is reached before the winter solstice this year, it will be fine.

Meanwhile, ten miles away in the forest, another figure was crouching low as he moved through the thicket.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting scattered shadows on Yu Luoning.

She changed into a light and comfortable outfit today, which made her waist look slender and her figure graceful.

A treasure-hunting mouse perched on her shoulder, its round eyes darting around.

"Master, weren't you going to create a chance encounter? That kid is so far away, will he even make it?"

Yu Luoning said, "Next, follow my instructions. You go and explore this forest to see if there are any monsters, preferably those below the fifth level of Qi Refining."

The mouse tilted its head: "Yes, Master, King Mouse, I'll be right back."

It darted into the depths of the forest, weaving through the grass and tree roots, searching for quite a while.

Where there are magical treasures, there are often monsters guarding them.

This is a pattern that I've summarized over many years of traveling around the country, and it always works.

Sure enough, beside a century-old tree, it discovered a huge tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead. The tiger's body had become a spirit, and it was now poised by the tree, half-closing its eyes to absorb the sunlight, looking languid.

At the base of the tree, there was a Ganoderma lucidum about the size of a palm under the canopy, emitting a faint spiritual light.

The mouse stared at the Ganoderma lucidum, its mouth almost watering.

It swiftly returned the way it came, leaping onto Yu Luoning's shoulder, panting, "Master, I've found a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, priceless! But the monster guarding it is at the sixth level of Qi Refining, one level higher than you. I wonder if you can defeat it?"

"Whether I can win or not is not important." Yu Luoning's eyes had already lit up.

Unexpectedly, the mouse was so efficient. She only wanted to find a monster, but unexpectedly discovered a rare and precious treasure.

Now that we've discovered it, we should fight for it.

"Well done. If the plan succeeds, you'll get your share of the rewards."

The mouse immediately beamed with joy.

Yu Luoning went through the whole plan in her mind, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

He then said, "Here's what we'll do: you go steal the Ganoderma lucidum, and I'll lure the tiger away."

The mouse blinked: "Can Master handle this?"

"I have my own way."

Yu Luoning took it off his shoulder, put it on the ground, and gave it a teleportation talisman.

"Let's split up."

"Be careful. At all times, your own safety must come first; obtaining rare and precious treasures is secondary, understand?"

The mouse's steps suddenly stopped.

It slowly turned its head, blinked, and looked at Yu Luoning.

My eyes feel a little hot.

For many years, the mouse had followed the ghost cultivator on his adventures. Every time they went on a mission, did the ghost cultivator ever ask if it was alive or dead? He didn't care if it was injured, he didn't ask if it was beaten, and if it made a mistake, he would make it suffer an even bigger beating.

This master is truly different.

The mouse took a deep breath, clenched its little fists, and looked like a warrior going off to fight.

Thinking to himself, this is the first time I've officially joined forces with my master, and I must show him my true abilities.

Only success is allowed; failure is not permitted.

Oh dear! I'm off to be a mouse!

It darted into the bushes and disappeared in a flash.

Yu Luoning looked in the direction it disappeared, turned around, and circled around towards the old tree.

The tiger with half-closed eyes lay by the tree, its tail sweeping the ground from side to side, looking completely lazy.

Suddenly, a soft rustling sound came from the bushes.

It raised its eyelids and looked ahead.

Twenty meters away, a woman stood in the woods, holding an exquisitely crafted longbow. She nocked an arrow, drew the string, and completed the action in one smooth motion.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, three arrows were fired in quick succession, heading straight for its face.

The tiger with piercing eyes leaped up suddenly, nimbly dodging the attack.

Its eyes were wide open as it stared at the woman before it, letting out a low roar.

The next moment, it spoke in human language, its voice deep and gruff, carrying a hint of arrogance:

"Another fool who doesn't know his own limits. Trying to steal my thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum?"

Yu Luoning slung the phoenix feather bow over her shoulder, raised an eyebrow,

"What? Your thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum? A rare and precious treasure, it's for everyone who sees it, and the capable will claim it."

Enraged by these words, the tiger's whiskers bristled, and with a roar, it pounced on Yu Luoning.

Yu Luoning turned and ran, using her aerial magic to dart through the forest, leaving the tiger spinning around like a dog on a leash.

Enraged, the tiger roared, its sound waves echoing through the forest.

Yu Luoning felt a sharp pain in her eardrums, and the next moment, she received a solid slap on the back.

In the critical moment, he drew a circle around himself to shield her from half of the harm.

Yu Luoning staggered half a step, feeling a burning pain in her back.

She gritted her teeth.

Well, this slap was worth it. I just hope that the young master will be kind to me then.

Taking advantage of the moment when the tiger turned around, she sprinted towards Shi Shangxu, silently calculating the distance in her mind as she ran.

Not far away, a mouse carrying a huge Ganoderma lucidum mushroom came running towards her.

The tiger spirit then realized that it had been tricked.

He was furious.

"You cunning human! I'm going to eat you!"

Yu Luoning chuckled, raised her hand, and sucked the rat along with the Ganoderma lucidum into the space.

From inside the jade bracelet, the mouse's voice, brimming with undisguised smugness, said, "Master, I got it! Hehe, aren't I amazing!"

Yu Luoning's lips curled into a smile. "Well done."

Then, Yu Luoning severed her connection with the jade bracelet.

They were focused solely on escaping for their lives.

She deliberately slowed down by half a step, allowing the tiger behind her to follow even closer. She casually loosened a few strands of her hair and used the Wild Bone Manual to suppress her breathing, making herself look extremely disheveled.

Ahead, the light of the campfire could be faintly seen through the gaps in the trees.

Yu Luoning took a deep breath and rushed out of the woods.

Not far away, the firelight flickered, and a young man in a blue robe was squatting by the campfire.

He heard a noise and looked up, his eyes meeting a pair of panicked eyes.

Yu Luoning was panting heavily, her hair disheveled, and the back of her clothes was already torn to shreds from that tiger's paw.

She seized the opportunity, aimed at his clear figure, calculated the distance, and fell into the boy's arms in the most graceful posture.

patter

The crispy roasted fish in Shi Shangxu's hand fell into the ash heap.

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

His hands hung awkwardly in mid-air, unsure whether to catch it or let it go.

The warm, soft woman in his arms was breathing heavily, her clear, bright eyes looking at him as if she were her savior.

"Young master... save me."

"Girl...you...you get up..." Shi Shangxu's ears turned bright red instantly.

Just then, a roar broke through the forest.

Before Shang Xu could react, a large tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead swept in, bringing a foul stench, and crushed the campfire to pieces.

Shi Shangxu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He picked up the limp Yu Luoning and, like an arrow released from a bow, instantly appeared ten steps away.

"pay close attention!"

The boy's voice carried a sharp edge unique to sword cultivators.

Yu Luoning buried her head in his neck and wrapped her arms around the boy's lean and muscular waist.

From the boy's perspective, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

~

My darlings, is my cover really that ugly? (A reader suggested it, thank you!)

The cover affects readership, so I'm hesitating about whether to change it. The title was rejected before, so I changed it, and readership hasn't been good these past few days. I'm wondering if I should try changing the cover! Feel free to leave your comments!