Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

Shen Xuejun was never one to talk to outsiders. She had the elders in the pavilion handle a few words for her, and then left with Chu Mingkong and Xiao Yunhan, not wanting to waste her time on these unnecessary matters.

Time can be wasted, but only she can decide how to waste it.

Chu Mingkong was still worried about his female relatives, so he said:

"Master's wife, may I go to the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy next door to check on my female relatives first, and then come over?"

Since it was right next door, just across the street, Shen Xuejun wasn't worried about him running away and readily agreed.

"Okay, I'll come over later to keep my teacher's wife company."

Chu Mingkong breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he stepped out, he returned to his original form and logged back into his main account. However, even when entering the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy's residence, he dared not be too conspicuous. Using Fengying's colorless shadow technique, he directly sneaked into the mansion.

At the Xiaoxiang Qin Academy's residence, Gundan was already waiting there. This panda had returned with Zuo Qiuchi.

Upon seeing Chu Mingkong's figure appear, Gun Dan was extremely excited:

"Little Mingkong, you had a great time today. You ran away after cursing people, and the Dragon King had to leave in a sorry state! By the way, I heard that you have a daughter. Where are you hiding her? Let me see her."

The bear turned its head around, seemingly confused, not noticing that there were any children there.

So the news that I have a daughter has spread this far... But Chu Mingkong was still happy to see Gundan, patting her round belly.

"I didn't bring the children with me. Next time you come to Xiling, let them meet you. But remember to shrink down when you meet them, otherwise the children might be frightened if they see your huge body."

"That's true. I also need to think about what the girls want to call me. It's not good to be too formal. It needs to be more friendly. How about calling me Brother Gun?"

Chu Mingkong had something to say, but he didn't know whether he should or not: If you have children after you get lost, should the child be named "Get Lost Calf"?

Chu Mingkong returned mainly to check on the safety of the women; none of them were unharmed and all were well.

Qingse had tried her best to prevent Chu Mingkong's women from witnessing the grand auction of "Red Bull," but the spectacle was too overwhelming. They later inquired around and learned almost everything, but they never actually saw the true face of that half jade dildo.

When Jin Yu saw her lover return, she was somewhat shocked and muttered to herself, "Even fakes are this price, what must the real ones be like? I never imagined I could consume so many spirit stones in a single bite..."

"..." Chu Mingkong.

He decided to skip this unpleasant topic and cover it up with something serious.

"Fengying, did you notice that Dragon King Ao Wei just now? If you had taken a dagger and stabbed him, could you have hurt him? His cultivation level is indeed a bit unusual, isn't it? It's probably only at the seventh level, but this seventh level is much stronger than the seventh level I usually know!"

"I didn't realize it, but I'm astonished that the few bites I took from that little kid back then are worth so much money! I'll be set for life! If I ever run out of money, I can just auction off Mingkong~"

Is this something we can't get over? Chu Mingkong could only pretend to be clueless:

"The divination of the Witchcraft Clan is indeed mysterious. They actually made me look so foolish today. They are despicable!"

Chapter Ninety-One: Time to Grind for Points

After the teasing, we must return to the question of the Dragon King's cultivation level, which is undoubtedly the difference between the complete cultivation of ancient times and the incomplete cultivation of today.

However, Chu Mingkong couldn't be sure if it was a normal seventh-tier in the ancient mode. If it was, it didn't seem to be much stronger than him.

In the recent exchange, it seemed that Chu Mingkong's side was at a great disadvantage, but to a considerable extent, he dared not fight with all his might. If he acted rashly in the heat of the moment, everyone who saw him in the future would have to call him a nouveau riche who carried around 850,000 spirit stones.

Even so, after several rounds of fighting, Chu Mingkong was still unharmed, and the pressure he faced was not as great as that of the Heavenly Emperor.

He mentally reenacted the brief battle at the auction, analyzing it as follows:

"Let's start with the obvious anomaly. I can tell that the dragon scale defense method was a scale transplanted through the Prince of Jin's methods. However, Ao Wei is very clever. He didn't get completely absorbed in the 'sense of accomplishment' from dismembering and transplanting the scale, and only touched one dragon scale."

This allows him to benefit from some of the extreme Yin energy while remaining unaffected by its negative effects.

From an offensive and defensive perspective, the power of extreme Yin was originally intended to unleash its full offensive potential, but Ao Wei used it for defense, which is indeed a good idea.

Feng Ying, being knowledgeable and experienced, briefly mentioned the scales:

"That's the reverse scale. It's like another organ for dragons. A few exceptionally gifted individuals have reverse scales that come with certain abilities. At the same time, it's an extremely sturdy scale, a life-saving trump card."

"So that saying, 'Touch the dragon's reverse scale, and you will die,' actually means that if you pull out the dragon's reverse scale, he will be close to death? Why don't I see that on Jiao'er?" Chu Mingkong didn't want to go back and touch Jiao'er's reverse scale; he was just curious. She was also a dragon girl in the family.

The most obvious feature of the dragon on her was her pair of cute little horns; I didn't really notice the scales.

"She hasn't grown up yet. Occasionally, you can still see dragon scale-like 'tattoos' appearing on Jiao'er's skin, but they usually disappear in an instant." Fengying's words were the most convincing, as she spent the most time with the two children.

The cat loves to stick close to Fengying, and Jiao'er often spends time with the cat, so Fengying is naturally in the state of "XX years old, unmarried, raising two children" in Qingxin Mansion.

"Is this reverse scale really that hard to break?" Zuo Qiuchi hadn't tried it yet, but she was eager to give it a shot. It had been a long time since she had tried to chop something that felt good to handle.

"It's difficult, so I used to take them down before they could use their reverse scale ability."

Mingkong's nature of not holding grudges will likely lead him to seek revenge against Ao Wei later. Why don't you let Mingkong keep his Achilles' heel for you to stab a few times?

Fengying shared her experience, her long, slender legs encased in black stockings shifting their crossed position. A piece of paper was placed on her thigh, but the slippery black stockings couldn't hold it; the paper would slide down after a while.

In the note, her two daughters were bothering her, wanting to chat with Fengying's mother.

"Then there's the issue of Ao Wei's cultivation level. His cultivation level should be in the mid-stage of the seventh rank?" Chu Mingkong cast a confirming glance at Zuo Qiuchi and Feng Ying.

Zuo Qiuchi felt nothing but contempt for the Dragon King, who spouted moralistic platitudes. If he was going to do evil, why pretend to be righteous? He felt the Dragon King had a twisted obsession with fame. Yet, he still had to acknowledge the strength of the fighting force the Dragon King had displayed.

"Yes, he's at the level to become a Grand Elder in a sect, or he could find a remote mountain village to start his own small sect. He could be a big fish in a small pond but a small fish in a big pond. However, setting aside the advantages of his dragon bloodline talent, Ao Wei is indeed much stronger than an ordinary seventh-tier cultivator."

But considering how ordinary and short his dragon horns are, reaching the early stage of the seventh rank is already a matter of extraordinary encounters and incredible luck. He's already reached his limit, yet he continues to grow—that's truly impressive.

She ended with a question: Zuo Qiuchi wondered how someone with Ao Wei's cultivation could wipe out the entire Old Dragon Clan? She had only been to the East Sea once or twice, but she had heard that the Old Dragon King was a powerful expert at the Great Perfection of the Eighth Rank, so he must have some hidden methods and killing moves!

"I can't believe my punch didn't shatter the water dragon that Ao Wei summoned!" The Iron-Eating Beast angrily shook its fist, which was as big as a sand pot.

Gundan's cultivation level is at the mid-stage of the sixth rank, but his physical body is powerful. He might not be able to hurt Ao Wei himself, but Gundan doesn't think he can't even break through one of Ao Wei's moves!

The group, including Xiong, chatted for a long time, thoroughly dissecting almost every trivial detail that Ao Wei had presented.

Chu Mingkong knew that if he continued to keep things to himself, the conversation would be meaningless. He had to explain the ancient concept of nourishing the soul and spiritual energy.

"I've heard that in ancient times..."

Upon hearing the words "I heard" uttered by the traitor, Zuo Qiuchi interrupted him rudely. She bent down to get closer, intending to question him further with some suspicion, but as she bent down, a long cleavage was revealed on her chest.

Even though the peaks on both sides are milky white and lustrous, they cannot illuminate the deep and secluded crevices of the valley!

"Stop saying 'I heard it,' first tell me where you heard it. I'll tell you two first: one I heard it at the teahouse, and another from an old man by the river. Do you have any new stories this time?"

"..." Chu Mingkong lowered his head in deep thought, his gaze falling on his master's "pectoral muscles," and he blinked, "I dreamt about you telling me this during my afternoon nap in the Abyss!"

Having grown accustomed to his various excuses, the women couldn't help but marvel at how brilliant his cover-up was this time. The word "before" implied that the event occurred many years ago, "the abyss" suggested that it was a place difficult for ordinary people to access, and "dreaming during an afternoon nap" was even more absurd, completely denying anyone a chance to verify.

Zuo Qiuchi had given up on agonizing over it; let's hear what this kid has to say this time:

"Alright, alright, you even dreamt that I appeared in your dream? You're using this as an excuse now. Go on, what did I say in the dream?"

"Master, you told me that there was a kind of spiritual energy in ancient times that could be used to cultivate the soul..." Chu Mingkong told him everything he knew, naturally omitting the system girl from his story.

"Oh~ I told you so much in my dream!" Zuo Qiuchi exclaimed in a perfunctory manner without any expression, and then said seriously, "However, I have indeed heard similar claims. They say that in ancient times, countless millions of years ago, there were techniques for cultivating the soul. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain the fragments of soul combat techniques occasionally found in the ruins today."

These soul-based combat techniques, which can be roughly understood as "mental attacks," are naturally useless in the present day. Without soul-based cultivation methods to enhance soul strength, these techniques are essentially meaningless.

Yongzhen is quite concerned about this topic, and she has suffered a lot because of it.

"Even with divine soul cultivation techniques, it's very difficult to cultivate now. Does Mingkong mean that Ao Wei's strength lies in this? How did he cultivate?"

Chu Mingkong shrugged helplessly. This was not a question he could answer, but it wasn't without clues.

The key may lie with Shejia. Shejia comes from Zixingqi Temple and may have a way to help Aowei cultivate demonic thoughts. This may be the root cause of Aowei's strength!

Ao Wei doesn't seem to possess any unique talents as a dragon. His dragon horns are far less rare than Jiao'er's. The only unusual thing about him is probably his wife, Shejia, and their strange relationship.

"Thinking about it this way, Ao Wei is now essentially at the level of spiritual strength, but he has a lot of power but not many skills to use it. Therefore, he is plotting to obtain the ancient inheritance in the Dragon King's Tomb, hoping to acquire those combat techniques that are gradually becoming impossible to cultivate in later generations?"

Jin Yu was puzzled and asked in confusion, "Why can't these cultivation techniques be properly stored in a cultivation technique vault or something? Why do we have to bring them into the tomb?"

Fengying found this question quite interesting; she had never had such a question before, always taking such things for granted. After a brief moment of thought, she explained:

"The mindset is different. The inheritance of cultivation techniques should not be regarded as external things such as gold, silver and spirit stones. Jinyu, you can regard it as a famous article that you wrote by chance. You are worried that your masterpiece will be forgotten. Maybe one day when the tomb is reopened, the world will know about your masterpiece again."

Zuo Qiuchi added:

"It can also serve as a testament to one's life achievements. In most cases, one copy is left to be passed down among the clansmen, and another copy is left in the tomb as a testament to the achievements. However, the copy left outside is often lost, so one can only look for it in the tomb."

However, I think the deceased must have anticipated that their graves would one day be dug up. To achieve such success, which person hasn't dug up their ancestors' graves to seek opportunities and trials? That's how it all happened; self-deception is useless.

After all that talk, a new question naturally arose for everyone, especially Zuo Qiuchi.

Ao Wei had clearly found some ancient cultivation method and broken through the shackles of his talent. So what level of person was Shen Xuejun, who suppressed him with one hand? Was her spiritual cultivation even stronger than Ao Wei's?

"So my wife is this strong? I don't remember her being this fierce before." Zuo Qiuchi was a little annoyed. She had sparred with Shen Xuejun before, but it wasn't like this.

"Have you decided to work hard, go into seclusion to cultivate, and strive to improve yourself?" Feng Ying asked curiously.

"That's impossible. I don't have the mindset for seclusion right now. I am myself, and others are others. I can't become someone else, and others can't be me."

"What does her strength have to do with me? My Mrs. Shen wouldn't lay a hand on me. Besides, it's not like I can't run away."

"If someone else said these words, they'd probably be accused of being lazy and unambitious," Fengying remarked.

"I say it's the same, it's all about not working hard and not making progress, but I'm the one who's trying to improve myself~" Zuo Qiuchi sighed in frustration and with a touch of smugness.

Chu Ming sighed inwardly, realizing that the Moon River Goddess's advice to be wary of his master's wife was not without reason. However... his master's wife's cultivation and combat power had suddenly surged, which, apart from her original strength, was probably also related to the snow lotus he had sent over last time.

He thought to himself, "I've finally bought what I wanted. Time to stock up on points!"

Chapter 92 Little brother, where did you get your icy spiritual energy?

Chu Mingkong's ambitions weren't really focused on developing his strength before going after Ao Wei; it wasn't worthwhile and didn't pique his strong interest.

Ao Wei didn't put much pressure on him. Compared to the Dragon King himself, Chu Mingkong was more curious about how his wife, Xingqi Temple, would help him cultivate. It was probably some strange and unusual method.

"Compared to Master's wife, this Ao Wei is not worth mentioning. I wonder if this demonic fetus can make Master's wife 'feel' a little bit."

Chu Mingkong was eager to go back to his room to sort out the information in the Filial Piety Mall, but as soon as he stepped out of his room, he slapped his forehead and remembered that he still had to go to his master's wife's place to report.

Upon arriving at the residence of Wenqing Pavilion, frost was falling, and the flowers and plants remained bright and beautiful, but were frozen in ice crystals by the snow. This scene even spread from inside the mansion to the streets outside.

Chu Mingkong was still wondering why the residence had changed like this after such a short time. He asked the disciples of Wenqing Pavilion and learned that after the auction, many busybodies came to "spy" on him. With such a chaotic look in their eyes, Sect Master Shen used this as a way to show off and warn the younger generation not to disturb the peace.

High in the clouds, there were indeed a few cultivators frozen in place, unable to move, their fate uncertain. These were the people who, after the warning was issued, still wanted to risk their lives by taking a few more glances.

"Even someone with a personality like Master's wife would find those petty scoundrels' harassment unbearable."

After thanking the Wenqing Pavilion disciples guarding the gate, Chu Mingkong soon realized that he was also being watched by a gaze, but this gaze was not from an ordinary person.