Chapter 16 - 107-115

Chapter 107: Xu Que: The Empress' Heart Demon

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

At the same time, there was utter silence outside the tower.

Everyone stared at Xu Que's wooden tile blankly, which rose up to the position of the eighth level. The entire scene was silent that even a pin dropping could be heard.

With Xu Que breaking record after record, everybody had become numb to him moving up yet another level!

He advanced to the sixth level from the fifth, and after staying there for half an hour, he entered the seventh level. In the end, after another half an hour, he rose to the eighth level.

The people's astonishment started to turn into fear.

"That… that lad... What kind of monster is he?"

"The eighth floor, oh my god. I must be in a dream. If not, how is it possible for a Golden Core Staged youth to reach the eighth level of the Tower of Souls?"

"A world ranked genius has emerged from our Fire nation!"

"With such soul strength, his name will spread all around the world in no time."

"Not only that. With his current record, the name Hua Wu Que from the Heaven Explosion Faction will shake the entire Five Nations!"

"The Sky Incense Valley will also benefit from this. With such a talent, their Sect will be blessed with fortune!"

"Who knows if the other two big Sects will come and try to snatch this talent away."

"How envious I am right now!"

Everybody started to exclaim in admiration.

Only the few Sky Incense Valley disciples, along with the Seventh Elder, were horrified!

All of them had ashen faces, including the Seventh Elder. They opened their mouths wide in disbelief.

"How… how could this be possible? The entrance to the eighth level had clearly been sealed. How… how was he able to get in?" The Seventh Elder looked at the few Sky Incense Valley disciples.

The few of them were stunned and bitterly replied, "Elder, we are certain that we had set up the restrictive barrier without mistakes."

"Then how could this happen? If he disturbed the Empress while clearing the level, we will be in deep trouble!" The Seventh Elder was as panicky as an ant on hot stove. He retreated a few steps and started to sweat all over.

The Water Nation Empress was their most remarkable disciple to date. On top of that, with her current position, she was a very important figure for the Sky Incense Valley. If something disrupted her Cultivation, it would become a big loss for them.

As for Xu Que, he was the most talented individual ever since the ancient days, having been able to reach the eighth level of the Tower of Souls at the Golden Core Stage Full Foundation. They could not afford to lose such a good young sapling!

Burning with anxiety, the Seventh Elder was stuck in a dilemma.

Also, he had no way to see what was happening at the eighth floor from the tower windows. His personal record was the seventh floor. Therefore, even if he wanted to personally enter and check the situation, he wouldn't be able to.

"Perhaps… there is something wrong with the Tower of Souls? Yes, this must be the case. Possibly, when I changed the rules of the tower, it affected the position of the wooden tile. Maybe that young man is still currently at the sixth floor." The Seventh Elder started to console himself.

However, he could not be confident with his words. In the end, after hesitating for a while, he decided to report the situation to the higher authorities.

"The few of you stay here. I need to take a leave for a while!" After giving orders to the few Sky Incense Valley disciples, he floated upwards and disappeared in mid air.

At the same time, inside the eighth level of the Tower of Souls...

Although he had a square meter to move around, there was still a layer of cloud mist separating him from the Empress and he was unable to advance further.

If not, this guy would have already passionately rushed over and gave her a thorough body check-up.

With the separation, Xu Que naturally continued to act tough.

He took out a big bunch of items from the System's inventory.

Things like charcoal, barbeque grill, peanut oil, soy sauce, chicken wings… he took all of them out and made a big commotion out of it.

Quickly, he sat down on the ground, took a small firewood and started to drill it against another piece of wood.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..." He started to drill the firewood to make fire.

To someone who was cultivating in seclusion, this was definitely an annoying sound.

However, with the Empress' calm and tranquil mind, it seemed as if she was not affected in any way. She was calm as water and bore the hardship with equanimity. One could say that she was as well disposed as a river!

"Keke!"

In the end, Xu Que made a bunch of fire. He had set up the barbeque grill and exchanged ten Star Miscanthus before lighting them up without hesitation, blossoming into a splendid glow of starlight.

"Lady, quickly take a look. There is really a starlight in the Star Miscanthus! See? Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…" Xu Que waved the bunch of Star Miscanthus in his hand and started to sing the nursery rhyme.

However, the Empress still did not budge!

"Idiot!" This caused Xu Que to become embarrassed and he scolded himself in his head. For the art of acting tough, if done wrongly, one will easily look like a complete fool!

He didn't know that the Empress could recognize the smell of the Star Miscanthus and she also knew that he was burning them but she just didn't bother.

From what she knew, it was normal that the Heart's Demon would behave like this, trying to distract a person in cultivation. They would burn valuable items to cause disarray in one's mind and find a weakness to break their spirit! Therefore, she continued to relax while bearing in mind that the entire thing was just a fabrication and everything was from nothingness. She kept her heart strong and concentrated on her Cultivation.

"Looks like I have to use my next move!"

Xu Que put the chicken wings on the barbeque grill, brushed honey while turning them continuously and sprinkled them with cumin and hot pepper.

A thick smell emerged and immediately filled the entire eighth level.

Still, it had no effect either.

"Crap! I've really met a tough one!" Xu Que panicked and lost his appetite. He immediately threw the chicken wing to one side.

The next moment, he carried out an iron pan, positioned it on the fire and proceeded to pour oil on it!

"You've forced me to use my ultimate move!" Xu Que sneered and exchanged for a bunch of Smelly Tofu from the system store. He then immediately poured them into the oil pan!

"Keke!" Quickly, the sound of cooking oil started to emerge and the overwhelming stench filled the air in an instant.

At this time, all the fragrance from the chicken wings were swallowed up. The entire eighth level was filled with the stench and it was indeed very strong!

No matter how much the Empress relaxed and kept a strong heart, she became agitated at last.

Her spirit trembled and her beautiful eyes opened abruptly. After witnessing what was in front of her, she became momentarily stunned.

"He… he is cooking poop?' She found it hard to believe. Why would this Heart's Demon be so peculiar and use such means to disturb her process of Cultivation?

'The Heart's Demon is born from one's heart. It reflects one's deepest side they've never seen. Could it be… that deep in my heart, there hides a dirty secret?'

The Empress' heart faltered and became a mess. She stared at Xu Que.

Xu Que did not realize that the Empress had already opened her eyes and continued to fry his Smelly Tofu. While cooking, he thought that he should give it up if this did not work.

After all, for acting tough, it would only be effective if the person looked at you. Since the Empress was not looking, Xu Que felt that whatever he did would be a one-man show and that would be absolutely dull!

"Sigh!" After that thought, Xu Que let out a sigh. From the time after his rebirth, this was the first time he had hit such an immovable obstacle while acting tough. Although his soul strength became very strong, he had spent a thousand over act tough points to get to where he was!

"I don't think I will be able to earn back anything from someone like this. Whatever. I've already spent it, no point brooding over the loss. I should regain my determination and eat a good meal. Wow! This smell is great!"

Xu Que scooped up a piece of Smelly Tofu, brought it up to his nose and gave a good and deep sniff. He squinted his eyes and let out a blessed expression.

However, upon witnessing this, the Empress' mind and heart shook and went into frenzy!

'Absurd! This Heart's Demon is absolutely absurd! It sniffed a piece of poop and still let out such an expression. Why… why is my Heart's Demon doing such things?' Her heart was filled with shock and fear.

Following was a scene which made her collapse.

Xu Que narrowed his eyes, sent that piece of Smelly Tofu into his mouth and took a bite.

"Chi!" Enjoying the fresh juice oozing out and splashing about in his mouth, Xu Que gave off an extremely pleasured look and he praised, "Good, this is too good!"

"Pfff!" Almost immediately, the Empress became pale and abruptly spat out a mouth of fresh blood!

Chapter 108: Be Good. Open Your Mouth. Eat It.

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

On top the mountain of the test area resided a wooden cottage.

The Sky Incense Valley's seventh elder stood before the table as he scribbled onto a parchment, writing words of highest secrecy.

Soon after, he took out a square tile and submerged it into a violet colored spirit stone, thereby activating the spell.

Obviously, this was a spell which would delivery the parchment. After the spell had been activated, the seventh elder pointed his fingers at it. Immediately, the secret parchment was being absorbed into the tile as it was conveyed to another member of Sky Incense Valley.

The location of Sky Incense Valley's monastery was within the sea of clouds. It was just like how one would imagine a mystical island where immortals hail from would look like.

At this point, within a secluded room in Sky Incense Valley, a white haired old lady was seated in the middle. Her eyes were closed as she was obviously meditating.

"Eh?" All of a sudden, the old lady was awakened.

She seemed somewhat astonished as she flipped her hands over. She then realized a piece of paper had appeared on her palms. This was clearly a report sent by the seventh elder.

"Why would old seventh elder send a secret report? Could something have happened within the test areas?"

She unrolled the parchment to take a look. Before long, her face turned into shock, "How… How was this possible?"

When the other three old ladies around her heard movements, they opened their eyes as well, "Sect leader senior sister, what happened?"

The Sky Incense Valley sect leader frowned as she picked up the report and replied, "Seventh elder had sent a secret report. He said that a test candidate was showing superb potential, although he was only in the Golden Core Full Foundation Stage. He even managed to cross into the eighth level of the Tower of Souls!"

"What?" The three old ladies exclaimed in shock and disbelief. .

Immediately after, their faces revealed looks of delight, "Sect leader senior sister, that is a good thing. If he joins our Sky Incense Valley, that would bring out sect great honor and success!"

The Sky Incense Valley sect leader shook her head grievously, "It was originally a good thing and was to be celebrated. But not at this point. Hong Yan has been in secluded meditation within seventh elder's tower. She's on the eighth floor as well!"

"The girl Hong Yan is there too?" The three old ladies were taken aback.

"That's… That's bad. That girl has been cultivating a whole new different skill set. She needed to use the pressures of the tower to refine her soul strength. This would in turn cause her core roots to be stronger. If she was interrupted at this stage, the consequences are unthinkable."

"And cultivating such techniques would mean that there mustn't be anything around her while she was cultivating. That means she would have to be bare bodied. If anyone manages to enter…"

The few of them ran through the possible situation out loud, their faces turning into ugly grims.

Hong Yan was the Empress of the Water Nations. Her status was thus revered and almost sacred. How could her naked and exposed body be looked on by just anyone? The problems wouldn't be limited to just Sky Incense Valley. It might drag the entire Water Nations into this as well.

The Sect Leader's expression was grave as she muttered to herself before flicking her wrists gracefully. She withdrew an ancient mirror from her storage ring.

This ancient mirror was made of extremely uncommon materials. It was neither gold nor jade, having a certain ancient, antique feel to it. There were many magical inscriptions written all over it which were emanating green auras.

"My three sisters, assist me on activating the Clear Sky Lens so that we can look into the tower and observe the current situation!" The Sect Leader spoke out as she picked up the mirror-looking object. She then controlled the entire lens with her core energy, causing it to float in mid air. Then, she used both her index finger and pointed in the lens. This caused a thin sliver of energy to waft from the point of her fingers into the lens.

Seeing this happen, the other three old ladies emulated her and pointed their fingers into the lens, causing the core energy to strengthen and thicken.

Before long, the lens emanated a bright light as it swirled within. When it eventually stabilized, it was as clear as a glass, enabling them to see everything that was happening.

At the same time, on the eighth level of the Tower of Souls...

Xu Que had just swallowed a large block of smelly tofu and shouted out loud about how amazing that tasted.

He then cleared his throat immediately. Right after, the sound of someone collapsing to the ground could be heard.

This caused Xu Que to jump up from that sudden sound as he hurriedly turned his head back to get a closer look.

He saw the woman who had been extremely still and unresponsive the entire time, clutching her fair and soft stomach. Her face was extremely pale as her other palm was on the ground, supporting her weight. She spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Holy fuck. What's the situation all about?" Xu Que was alarmed.

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 80 act tough points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for acting tough so superbly, you made an Infant Transformation Stage cultivator vomit blood. The fourth instance of this similar level of acting tough would make you attain 'Miraculous Acting Tough'. The reward is 100 act tough points!"

"Ding! Tempering of soul strength completed. Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully gaining 100% increase in soul strength. The reward is 3 square meters of movement!"

"Boom!" Almost instantly, Xu Que's mind seemed to have expanded once more as his soul strength and mental capacity exploded outwards, increasing another fold. The crushing pressures of fog had receded away from him by another 3 square meters, allowing him to move further.

At this point, the crushing fog between Xu Que and the Empress no longer existed.

The Empress still had a palm on the ground, obviously in pain. She looked at Xu Que and a certain iciness filled her heart.

"I failed to imagine… That I would come out empty handed, having lost to this vicious heart's devil of mine. It's just… How did the heart's devil's manifestation get so strong? According to theory, he should be pretty mild and was all an imagination. It's impossible that he actually exists. However, it seemed like he could control the fog in this room and caused it to dissipate. In order to do that, one has to have extraordinary soul strength and mental fortitudes. Even I won't be able to do something like that!" Thinking this way, the Empress felt cold in her heart once more. She then looked at Xu Que with expression of suspicion.

Xu Que's face was full of surprise as he stood to the side and resumed eating his smelly tofu. He then shouted out, "Little miss, what's up with you? I only ate a block of smelly tofu, what are you spitting blood for?'

"..." The Empress didn't reply. She glared straight at Xu Que as a whirlpool of emotions were running through her heart. "Could it be… Could I have been wrong? This person isn't my heart's devil? Wouldn't that mean…"

Thinking up to this point, her heart trembled as she reacted. She hurriedly stretched out both hands to cover her body.

However, at the next moment, she realized that she couldn't move a muscle. She couldn't even open her mouth to speak.

"This is bad. After I was distracted, my concentration broke and my soul shattered. My strength was all tied up on this eighth level and now it was gone. If this person has evil intentions…" Her expression fell as she looked at Xu Que cautiously.

Right at this moment, however, Xu Que was confused as well. He thus turned towards the system for advice.

"System, what's wrong with this lady? Was she hurt as a result of my acting tough?"

"After verifications, it can be concluded that the host's actions had a direct consequence to her cultivation process and caused her grievously hurt. This is confirmed by your previous success in acting tough and was duly rewarded."

"Damn it. It was really caused by me…" Xu Que forced a bitter laugh and looked at the Empress apologetically.

Her face had lost all color and she was pale as a sheet. Xu Que looked at her and felt a certain pity rising up his chest.

"Forget it. On account of how beautiful she looks, I shall leave aside my pride and make the extremely difficult decision to save her. System, what methods are there for me to use and save her? It would be best if this method requires my physical contact with her. For example, that mouth to mouth resus nonsense…" Xu Que asked the system in all seriousness.

"Ding! After conducting a check, the system confirms that this host had never cultivated any healing techniques. Hence, there are no methods which involve physical touch that could heal her. The source of her injuries stem from her crushed soul. The system suggests you use medications or other items that would improve her soul strength!"

"Medications or items that would improve her soul strength? What about smelly tofu? Would that work?

"Ding! That would work!"

"This is going to be fun."

Xu Que's eyes lit up as he picked up another piece of smelly tofu from the pan and walked towards the Empress.

Seeing such a thing happen, her pupils dilated in fear and shock, "What… What is he going to do?"

"Miss, come! Don't cry. Once you eat this amazing home cooked delicacy, your strength will return soon." Xu Que was all smiles as he spoke out.

"No… I don't want it..." Fear was written all across the Empress' face as she started to turn pale. It seemed like she was about to cry from being so helpless and afraid.

After taking the throne for so many years, everything was at her beck and call. Even the rains and wind listened to her. She had authority and power over everything. At this point though, she was completely helpless.

However, she didn't move and didn't speak.

She could only look at Xu Que who was holding onto that black, steaming piece of 'manure'. He walked up to her and even smiled at her as he whispered, "Be good. Open your mouth. Eat it."

As the distance between her face and the smelly tofu gradually decreased, everything in her vision went dark as she passed out.

If she could only move, the first thing she would have done wasn't to put on some clothes to cover her dignity but to rush forward towards Xu Que and bite him to death.

Chapter 109: Such A Perfect And Complete Man Exists In This World!

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

At this time, the Empress' heart and morale had crumbled. She was utterly devastated.

As the reigning monarch of a country, she never expected her naked body to be looked on by an unknown stranger. She felt silly for thinking that he was the manifestation of her heart's devil. At last, her cultivation efforts which she had been striving towards for the past few months were futile.

And now, this stranger was trying to feed her 'manure'. This was the biggest humiliation to her.

Her heart was trembling. If the events of today were to be leaked out, there would be dire consequences in future.

And yet she was still helpless at this point. Her body was immobile, unable to move. She couldn't even speak and had no way of stopping the youth before her.

Xu Que looked at her and could tell the amount of rejection, despair and helplessness in her eyes.

Bemused, he spoke, "Missy. You are going overboard now! Although I have to admit that you are extremely beautiful, that doesn't mean you should be stubborn. Alright fine, I guess since you're such a beauty, you have the right to be a little stubborn. But how can you hurt my feelings this way?"

"???" The Empress was extremely taken aback. She was full of wariness as she asked herself, "How did I hurt his feelings?"

Xu Que then continued speaking, "When I was being stuck just now, you didn't raise a finger to help me out. But I'm not being calculative or vengeful now and even decided to help you in return. However, you're pulling a long face and making strange eyes at me. In all honesty, if it weren't for the fact that you're a mess and extremely pitiful, I would've left a long time ago. Come on, be good. A smelly tofu a day, keeps the doctor away."

As he spoke, Xu Que brought the smelly tofu right to her lips.

The Empress couldn't even open her mouth. Her eyes were extremely terrified.

"Oh, so it's because you can't move? You should've said so earlier. Come, let me help you with that!" Xu Que seemed to have reached a profound understanding as he gently pulled her chin downward and peeled her lips apart.

Hsss... Her skin is so soft and smooth!

The second his fingers touched her lips, Xu Que inhaled a breath of cold air as his heart was hammering wildly in his chest.

In the next second, he forced the piece of smelly tofu into her mouth in spite of her terrified expression!

...

At the same time, within a secluded room in Sky Incense Valley...

The Clear Sky Lens was hovering in mid air as light shot around in all directions.

This particular lens had been passed down within Sky Incense Valley for thousands of years all the way 'till today. It was one of the most precious treasures within the sect and was extremely valuable.

However, the strength and power of Sky Incense Valley had dwindled over the years as the mantle of sect leader passed on from one to another. Presently, even the sect leader wasn't able to handle the Clear Sky Lens alone. Just to gain vision of the Empress, Hong Yan was within the domains of the Fire Nation and requires the strength of four Infant Transformation Stagers.

It could also be partially attributed to the fact that the powers of this Clear Sky Lens was way too strong. This lens was able to track anyone including his environment, sounds, smells and auras as if the person were sitting next door.

The transparent windows along the first few levels of the Tower of Souls was made up of the same material as this Clear Sky Lens.

It's just that the windows weren't as strong as this lens. Hence, it was impossible for the windows to reveal anything beyond the fifth level.

And now, this Clear Sky Lens was able to peer through the higher levels.

The second this thin looking mirror was infused with core energy, it lit up and shone prismatic light all around the room before revealing an extremely lifelike image.

The image which appeared on the mirror was the image of Xu Que prying open the Empress lips apart.

At the same time, an extremely pungent smell wafted through the mirror and perforated the nostrils of the old ladies within the secret room.

The four old ladies trembled in fear as their faces turned ashen. One of them hurriedly conjured some energy and directed it towards her nose to block out the smell.

"What was that stench?"

"It smelt like faeces!

"It was coming from the Tower of Souls. How could that be?"

"Not good. Take a look! See what that kid is holding onto!"

"Eh? What is happening? Why was he holding onto a piece of dung?"

"Hong Yan looks hurt as well."

"This is bad. Hong Yan must've been interrupted by that kid and thus took injuries to her soul. Look at the position she's in. It looks like she can't move!"

"Wait a second. What's that kid trying to do?"

"He... He… The audacity! He's too audacious! How dare he touch the lips of the Empress? Hong Yan is the monarch of the Water Nation and her skin is precious beyond measure. How dare he touch her?"

"Not good. Look! He is forcing her lips open and it seems like he's…"

"My god, is he crazy?"

The four old ladies opened their eyes wide as they squealed out. They were so upset that their entire bodies were shaking.

"He... He… He's actually feeding the Empress of Water Nation, faeces?"

"Outrageous!"

"Boom!:

The sect leader was so enraged she slammed her palm onto the wooden table beside her, causing the table to completely disintegrate into specks of dusts. Her face was brimming with intense killing aura and anger. She glanced at the other three old ladies and shouted out, "Activate the teleportation spell! I shall personally go down to the Fire Nation. This kid acts too outrageously. No matter how amazing his potential, I will not spare him!"

"Right away!" The three old ladies were filled with anger as well and acknowledged.

Soon after, the four of them transformed into beams of light as they disappeared from the secret room.

...

Meanwhile, on the eighth level of the Tower of Souls...

The Empress had a dejected look in her eyes. She was the reigning monarch of a powerful nation but had been reduced to such a state. She knew that such an incident would leave a huge scar on her and would actually become her heart's devil in the future.

Indeed, the second that black piece of faeces entered her mouth, a succulent and decadent aroma coursed through her palates. She gulped down and was stumped.

This… This is how faeces taste? That's not right. How could it be so delicious? It tasted like the best tofu she had ever had. Was this really tofu?

"Boom!"

Just as she was amazed by the taste of this item, a strange and mysterious energy appeared in her mouth and rushed towards her head.

In that second, the Empress' mind was completely blank.

Her soul strength seemed to have increased a notch. In that instance, she had managed to cross through the bottleneck of her cultivation as well and made a breakthrough!

"How was this possible?" The Empress gave out a shriek of delight.

When that happened, she realized that she could speak!

She looked at Xu Que in astonishment, her heart was full of amazement.

She was extremely clear that the wave of mysterious energy had came from that smelly piece of tofu and it was the smelly tofu which added to her soul strength and cause her fragmented and broken spirit to recover. It even gave her the additional edge to breakthrough that bottleneck which she had been stuck in for the past few months.

"Haha, how was it? I told you my cooking skills were extremely good. For example, this piece of smelly tofu would help to increase your soul strength." Xu Que laughed out plainly as he stuck his chest out proudly.

The smelly tofu's feature was that it could increase a person's soul strength by 1% of the person's strength. Since Xu Que's soul strength was extremely little to begin with, this 1% didn't do much and had minimal effects.

However, it was different for this Empress. She had already cultivated to the Infant Transformation Stage and her soul strength was immense. Hence, 1% of that gave a rather scary addition towards her existing pool of soul strength!

This is compounded by the fact she had been in secluded meditation for several months and was extremely close to that breakthrough. So this piece of smelly tofu had allowed her to breakthrough the bottleneck.

"How could… How could there be such a mysterious piece of food in this world?" The Empress asked herself in surprise.

Xu Que waved a hand and replied, "Miss, you are wrong to say that. There is an entire world within a flower and enlightenment within a leaf! This was such a vast world and would definitely be filled with mysteries and strange wonders!"

"An entire world within a flower, enlightenment within a leaf?" The Empress muttered to herself several times while her body was trembling. She looked at Xu Que in utter disbelief, her heart racing fast.

It was extremely hard for her to reconcile the fact that this young, Golden Core Stage teenager could speak such profound words of wisdom.

'And this young man doesn't look very ordinary. He has a sort of refined, and elegant air around him. In fact, he doesn't seem the least hindered by the eighth level's pressure and could even cook such delicious food here. It was hard to imagine that such a perfect and complete man existed in this world!'

She then looked at Xu Que once more, as her heart was filled with admiration!

Chapter 110: Do You Wish To Meet My Little Brother?

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 40 act tough points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 60 act tough points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 80 act tough points!"

Hearing the system ring out repeatedly within his head, Xu Que squinted his eyes and laughed out loud.

This way of acting tough was rather profitable! At least, he didn't waste his talents of rescuing others and could always lend a helping hand to those in need! Afterall, a good person would always have good karma. Since he had taken the path of acting tough as his noble profession, the least he could do was to excel in it. Saving people and acting tough went hand in hand. The most profound aspect about acting tough was to assimilate it, bit by bit, into everyday life and routine!

Just as Xu Que was revelling in happiness, the Empress had started to regain her composure again. Her gaze never left Xu Que, causing him to feel some discomfort.

Afterall, he was being looked at by a beautiful looking, stark naked lady and it was normal to feel somewhat shy.

"Little brother, let me ask, are you here to participate in the test conducted by Sky Incense Valley to become a disciple?"

Both pairs of eyes locked onto each other. At last, the Empress broke the silence. Her voice was extremely warm and friendly, bearing a tinge of understanding. Her gaze was extraordinary as though she could see through any deception on this world.

Right now, the only thing her eyes were looking at was the man who had superb innate talents. This same person had just fed her 'faeces' earlier on.

However, when Xu Que heard this, he was extremely unhappy. His eyebrows knitted into a frown and he asked, "Missy, you haven't even seen my 'brother', how can you know that it's little?"

"Eh? What do you mean by this?"

The Empress's paused, unable to fathom whatever Xu Que had meant. "Could it be, that you have other brothers at home? Could they be as talented as you? If so, that's great! All of you can join Sky Incense Valley!"

The Empress had always been a renowned child prodigy. However, she relied heavily on the counsel and guidance of the leaders of Sky Incense Valley in order to get to where she was today.

The amount of strength and talents displayed by Xu Que would've put her talents when she was younger to shame. Earlier on, it was extremely clear that that thing he placed into her mouth looked and smelt like faeces. How could it have increased her soul strength then?"

If this young man had other equally gifted brothers and they were all to join Sky Incense Valley, that would make the Sect extremely strong!

"Eh? So what you're trying to say, is that you wish to meet my little brother?" Xu Que broke out into hysteric laughter. In all honesty, he didn't intend to be this dirty minded but couldn't help it under such circumstances!

"That's right! If it's convenient, please introduce us..." The Empress replied seriously.

"Eh…"

Seeing such a serious expression on the Empress face, it was clear that she wasn't kidding. Xu Que was completely stumped and didn't know how to react to that answer. Missy, why don't you understand slangs and social lingo? Why can't you catch my drift?

"What? Will it be inconvenient? Is your little brother staying too far away from Sky Incense Village?" The Empress looked at Xu Que's expressions of difficulty and asked curiously.

"No no no… He's not far away at all. Instead, he's extremely close." As he spoke, Xu Que looked down at his own pants.

"Oh? Do you mean to say, he came for the same test as you?" The Empress asked, astonished.

"That's right. He did come! It's only… It's not convenient for him to see you!" Xu Que replied helplessly.

This Empress was clearly a very thorough person and always felt the need to get to the bottom of the matter. She then persisted in asking, "Why would it be inconvenient? Since he's in the vicinity…"

"Aiya! The logic behind the reason is extremely deep. Even if I were to tell you, you might not understand. The bottomline is, not letting you meet him would be best for you."

Xu Que shook his head as he tried to change the topic, "Little miss, if I didn't guess wrongly, you are a disciple of Sky Incense Valley?"

"Did you just call me little miss?" The Empress paused in shock before bursting out in laughter. "Do you know how many times older I am than you?"

"What's the use of being older or younger than someone?" Xu Que shrugged his shoulders before pointing towards the fair chest before speaking out boldly, "What's most important is, that is small. Although I think you're at least a D-cup right? But I've seen E and even F cups!"

The Empress was bewildered as she looked down. The second she looked down, her face fell.

She then finally recalled that she had been in secluded meditation on the eighth level all these while. Everytime she came up here, it was natural for her to completely disrobe and meditate. However, the elders who had come up here were all elderly old women which she wasn't ashamed to be naked in front of.

Who would ever imagine that a young man like Xu Que would ever end up here. When their interaction first began, the Empress didn't think much of it. However with Xu Que's reminder, she then realized they were of opposite genders and was thus extremely inappropriate! She was the highly esteemed Empress of the Water Nation. And yet she had been seen naked by a random, unknown man. This… This was a scandal!

"Sou!" A wave of freezing energy wafted out from her body as it wrapped around her body, sticking to her skin before transforming into a layer of opaque ice, covering her skin.

What was most extraordinary was that this layer of ice had embroidery all over it and yet it didn't look strange. Instead, it made her look even more ravishing and befitting of an Empress of a nation.

She looked upset and yet the Empress' feeling were in a whirl right now. She glared at Xu Que, who looked right back into her eyes. She then realized that she was looking at this handsome looking young man and an indescribable feeling was in her heart. With her personality, if anyone else had seen her in a compromising position previously, she would have turned him into ashes without a second thought and erase all trace of his existence from this world.

Whenever when she looked at Xu Que's crystal clear pupils, she was reminded of how she looked at him just as he fed her the delicious tasting smelly tofu. Her once cold heart of ice had been melted to water and had started dripping and softening, drop by drop.

"Little miss, aiyo! That's a pretty cool trick, using ice as a set of robes. How much money can you save up without having to spend on clothings! But… Aren't you cold?" Xu Que asked in awe.

The Empress ignored him and looked somewhat angry, but not quite. She looked at Xu Que strangely and was extremely conflicted. She had no idea what to do with Xu Que at this point.

And Xu Que continued looking at her, seemingly happy.

Indeed, there existed a special breed of women who were still pretty in their anger. Or rather, still exuded a particular charm in spite of their anger.

Xu Que could somewhat feel a sort of majestic aura wafting out from her. Although this aura wasn't threatening, it could make someone feel like she was extremely dignified and graceful.

Chapter 111: I've Already Seen Through The Scandal

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

It was clear that this woman could rouse such strong feelings within men which made them desire her deeply. However, most of these men couldn't help but to feel deeply inferior to her.

That was why the first time Xu Que laid his eyes on her, his heart skipped a beat. Only the gods themselves would be able to sleep with such a perfect woman!

"Little miss, have you seen a goddess before?" Xu Que asked.

The Empress looked at Xu Que, her interest was piqued. She thought to herself for sometime before nodding her head and replying, "Yes, I've seen them before."

"Because I've never met any…. Huh? You've seen a goddess before?" Xu Que was trying to use his pickup line once more. He never would've expected her to answer such an unorthodox response. She's met a goddess before? Fuck. Was she for real?

Seeing Xu Que look so stumped, the Empress gave a girly laugh before replying softly, "The mother of this world, who looks after and raises every single individual, is a goddess. The good that can be found in everyone, that comes from the goddess as well..."

"Gulp! I guess you're right. But that wasn't what I meant." Xu Que's lips twitched as he replied under his breath.

The Empress laughed out once more, "Unless you're speaking of the goddess who can fly into heaven because I haven't met her yet."

"..." Xu Que touched the point of his nose helplessly.

Chatting up ladies was a skill which required precision, timing and ambience. After dropping his pick up line, she replied him in such a strange way that even he found it embarrassing to pursue the matter.

Thus it can be concluded that this lady was extremely different from those other easy, cheap goods out there!

"Can you tell me, how did you manage to enter the eighth level? Based on what I know, there's a powerful spell restricting access to the eighth level right at the entrance!" the Empress asked. She didn't know of Xu Que's history but she guessed that he must've been someone who had come for the test, hoping to enter Sky Incense Valley.

Xu Que rolled his eyes before laughing out, "Just a mere restrictive spell won't hinder me. Or you can also say that there's nothing in this world that can obstruct me. If I wish to be somewhere, I shall be there. That includes your heart as well."

"My heart?" The Empress asked, clearly surprised.

"If I say that I can enter your heart, would you believe me?" Xu Que nodded his head and smiled.

"I believe." The Empress thought for sometime before nodding her head shyly.

Xu Que felt his heart wrench up. No! Please don't believe in every single word I say. Damn it. Why have all my pickup lines failed against you? I can't believe this.

"Don't you wish to know how I can make my way into your heart?" Xu Que asked.

"I do!" The Empress smiled once more.

Xu Que then heaved a sigh of relief, thanking his lucky stars that he was finally given the opportunity to take center stage and demonstrate his abilities. Thus, he gave a serious expression and nodded his head, "Alright. Since you wish to know, I shall tell you. The eyes are the window to a person's heart. Come, look into my eyes and I shall look into yours." Xu Que spoke out as he thrusts his face forward towards her. The distances between both their faces were several millimeters apart.

According to the legends, if a man and woman were to look at each other deep into the eyes for forty seconds, feelings would develop between them!

And so…

"Hehe!" Just after two seconds, the Empress couldn't help but break out into a smile as her body turned away shily before speaking, "You are a very interesting young boy. At your age, there aren't many people like you who make discerning their ages hard."

Fuck! This lady doesn't even treat me like a man! She's talking to me like a child. A boy! It's no wonder none of my pickup lines worked on her. Damn it!

Xu Que finally reacted. He looked extremely unhappy, "Little miss. I must disagree with you. I am an honest and matured man. How can you say discerning my age is difficult? Are you trying to say I'm still very boyish? No! No! No! Look at me from all 45 degrees. Can't you see how I'm as pure as the heavens? At this age, there's nobody more pure than me."

"You shouldn't address me as little miss. You would confuse the orders of seniority between us. Besides, I don't really understand most of whatever you just said…" The Empress was half laughing.

"What should I call you if not little miss? Young sister? As for those words you didn't understand, I've already told you the meaning of which is extremely deep. You're still young now and might not understand. But that's alright. As long as you stick around me, you shall learn fast enough…"

The Empress nodded her head gently and laughed, deciding not to argue with Xu Que on this topic. She felt as though Xu Que was extremely different from most of the people she had met. Especially those strange words he spoke and the way she spoke them. Some of those words even she didn't understand. However, she had this feeling that the things he was speaking about had some deep meaning to them.

Xu Que however, didn't like this feeling very much. He felt like he had lost this time and had broadcasted this loss for everyone to see.

He didn't speak and looked around, trying to size her up. He then decided to quit wooing her for now and stop with the pickup lines. Besides, it wasn't everyday that he was able to enter such a special tower. His main priority should be to refine his soul strength as much as he could. Also, he recalled having boasted earlier about peeing off the top of the tower. He probably shouldn't let anyone down and renege on his earlier promises right? Thus he decided to ascend further to the ninth floor.

Only the minute he stood up, the gorgeous looking lady called him back.

"Little brother, since you're able to cross through the eighth level, the Elite Entrance Order should be yours. Why are you still trying to go up and risk your life? In the future when you enter the Sky Incense Valley, you can pick a sect elder to receive knowledge and training from. Based on how strong your soul and mental fortitudes are, why don't I recommend you an elder?"

"Wait a minute. Who said I wish to join the Sky Incense Valley?" Xu Que held his hand up and interrupted her.

The Empress paused in shock, "Eh? What are you doing here if you're not trying to join Sky Incense Valley?"

"I was just passing by and came in here to act tough. Once I was done acting tough, I would leave."

"Act tough? What do you mean by that?" The Empress shot him a suspicious look once again.

"It… It means, to just gallivant around since I had nothing better to do." Xu Que replied, looking distracted.

The Empress mumbled to herself for sometime before speaking out seriously, "Then will you consider joining the Sky Incense Valley? If you manage to join, I guarantee that you will have numerous of treasures provided for your cultivation. At the same time, the sect will cater its resources to ensure that you develop well…"

"Damn, I was just wondering what this was all about! So this is the case! It's a (scandal) pubic hair! A huge huge (scandal) pubic hair!"

(T/N : The chinese characters for ploy/scandal is one character away from pubic hair. In this case, he said pubic hair instead of scandal)

Even before the Empress could finish speaking, Xu Que widened his eyes and started shouting, while looking at her.

This caused the Empress to feel extremely confused. She then realized that this black robed youth was extremely difficult to fathom. However, she was extremely intrigued by him as well. She laughed out, "Little brother, would you let me finish speaking?"

"No, I won't! Don't even think about it." Xu Que waved his hand around, "I was just wondering to myself and thinking that it was extremely strange that the sect would place a gorgeous lady on the eighth level. She probably used some strange spell to render her immune from my pick up lines, which actually worked. My pickup lines were ineffective on her. All these are extremely abnormal. Indeed, I didn't expect any of this, for it was all a huge, huge (scandal) pubic hair! It's a scam! A phoney from start to end!"

Chapter 112: He's Already Left, These Are His Belongings

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"Ah? Scandal? I…. Our Sky Incense Valley won't ever cheat people." The Empress was extremely confused, showing it on her face as well.

Xu Que cleared his throat, "Stop covering up! Have you looked into my clear and extremely bright pair of eyes? Well, let me tell you. These aren't just eyes. These are a pair of light which will uncover and reveal your cheating ploys ."

"Actually, I was able to see through the entire plan a long time ago. Let me tell you, your lowdown scummy ploys will never fool an intelligent genius such as myself. I could see right through you."

"First off, you made use of your terrific figure and gorgeous looking features to attract my attention. Next, you would make a move on me and blatantly express how attracted you are to me. Soon after, you would tell me about how your parents are mighty royalty within the kingdom. When you've finally reeled me in, you would give me all kinds of powerful treasures and medications to improve my cultivation and might even give me a large sum of spirit stones. Before long, you would make repeated requests to have sex with me and would even rape me if I refuse to give permission. Once that happens, I would become embroiled deeply within your ploy and have no choice but to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you."

"At the end, I would have everything I ever wanted and needed. I wouldn't have to work. I could eat, play and do anything I wanted all day long. That would make me a useless person to society. I would become nothing more than a handicapped person! Before long, my physical body and my soul would regress and I wouldn't have the slightest urge to act tough! Hmph! I won't fall for your tricks!"

"A useless person to society? What do you mean? Don't you worry. Any disciple that joins my Sky Incense Valley sect would never become handicapped..."

"That's not what I meant. What I mean…" Xu Que was just about to speak more rubbish words when all of a sudden, the entire tower shook violently. Four beams of light appeared, along with immense killing intents and shot towards the tower.

"Not good! Many Infant Transformation Stage cultivators are here. There's no time to explain. Missy, please get in the car…" Xu Que shouted out.

"Car? We're in a tower. There's no car around. But don't you worry. The four of them are the Sky Incense Valley elders. Everything's going to be alright."

"Alright your sister! Can't you feel their killing intents? How can it be alright? You might be alright, but I'm in deep shit! Missy, I shan't linger any longer. The mountains will remain tall and the river streams will continue to flow. We shall meet again if fate permits…" Xu Que then retrieved his escape emblem, and was prepared to flee after acting tough.

"You can't leave this place. This tower…" The second the Empress opened her mouth to speak, she then realized a tremendous force ripping through the air within the tower. The force then swirled around in the room before landing upon Xu Que. She then asked, "You can rip open the air? You actually have the power to escape from the realms of this tower?"

Xu Que, who had just torn the escape emblem to activate it laughed out, "Of course. Fleeing after acting tough is one of my most commonly used skills. Imagine not being able to flee after acting tough. Won't I look extremely stupid? Little miss, do not feel discouraged because I've seen through your (scandal) pubic hair. In fact, there aren't many people in this world who are like me. Alright, I shan't speak further. Farewell to you…"

When he finished speaking, the air within the room trembled violently, as Xu Que's shadow gradually receded. The Empress knew that Xu Que was leaving and felt a strange feeling of loss and despair in her heart.

"Sou!"

She then took out a Heaven Ending jade pendant and slung it onto his waist just before he disappeared. She then spoke out, "You and I are fated. Thank you for feeding faeces… I mean smelly tofu to me and treating my injuries… This jade pendant is yours…"

As soon as her last words were spoken, Xu Que had teleported a long distance away.

The Empress then glanced across at the eighth level of the tower and saw that it was empty. She felt a certain sense of loss and yet still felt a lingering presence around in the room that belonged to Xu Que.

When she glanced across at the pots and pans which Xu Que had used to fry the smelly tofu, she waved a hand across and stored all of these items into her storage ring.

He was already gone and these were the only items he left behind.

The air around still smelt strange, but the Empress took a deep breath and felt a special… connection.

"It was as if I haven't had such an intimate and relaxed conversation with anyone in the longest time."

...

At this time, the tower started to rumble and tremble. Four old women of the Infant Transformation Stage rushed in furiously.

"Hong Yan… Are… Are you alright? Ai? What happened? Did you just have a… Breakthrough?"

The first Infant Transformation Stage elder rushed in and noticed that the Empress' strength was much stronger than before. It was evident that she had a breakthrough.

"What about that rascal? How dare he contaminate the air around the Empress of the Water Nations. I would give him a thousand slashes. Even if he was the most worthy candidate and the one with the highest potential, Sky Incense Valley would never accept…" Another elder raged out as she tried to find a trace of Xu Que.

"Why isn't he here? I know. Hong Yan, have you reduced that kid to ashes and dust already?" Another elder asked.

"My fellow senior masters, I've already handled this matter. You don't have to investigate any further." The Empress spoke out plainly before the few Infant Transformation Stage elders in order to get their minds off the topic.

She would never tell these elders that Xu Que had fled, for they would chase him to the ends of the world in order to protect her dignity. When they've found him, they would do everything in their power to kill him.

"That's good! My fellow sisters, let's not speak of this matter any longer and allow it to pass!"

The few old ladies knew that this matter involved the reputation of the Empress and all decided to never speak of this matter again.

Just as the entire group of them decided never to speak of this matter again, the Empress broke the silence and asked, "Senior elder, might I ask, how did this person manage to enter the eighth level of the tower?"

"Hong Yan, you… Ai! Alright. Actually, this was all our fault. We never expected a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator to have such incredible soul strength and made it all the way to the seventh stage without difficulties. In fact, he was even able to vanquish the spell at the entrance of the eighth level and compromised your modesty."

The senior elder heaved a loud sigh as she explained, "However, according to the other elders, his performances in other levels were extremely precise and efficient. He was even able to surpass some of our Original Infant Stage disciples."

Hearing about Xu Que's performance and quotes in the earlier stages, the Empress' eyes lit up brightly.

"I shall walk the path which belongs only to the fittest and most capable."

"In this life, I have to be the best person who ever existed. Even when I die, I will be an heroic ghost."

...

If the Empress thought that the way Xu Que spoke earlier was strange, all these stories she was hearing now made her feel that something is stirring in her heart. As for Xu Que and his 'Heavenly Explosion Faction' stories, she started to imagine him speaking those words.

"Missy! Take a look! There's really starlight in the Star Miscanthus!"

"Missy, these grilled chicken wings tastes extremely delicious!"

"Missy! Missy! Would you like another piece of smelly tofu?"

Chapter 113: I Didn't Do Anything!

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The words which Xu Que quoted were still ringing in her ears. She could still recall his handsome looking face which bore semblances of innocence. All of a sudden, the Empress turned around and glanced at an elder, who was holding onto several precious treasures, "Second elder, are you holding on to a bunch of Star Miscanthus?"

"Yes! The disciples managed to gather quite a number of it. I have a total of 158 stalks of Star Miscanthus. Hong Yan, do you need these Star Miscanthus for your cultivation, now that you've broken through? If that's the case, take it all! You are the most outstanding disciple of our sect anyway…"

As he spoke, the second elder whipped out all the 158 stalks of Star Miscanthus and handed it all over to the Empress.

When the Empress received the Star Miscanthus, she didn't keep them immediately. Instead, she ignited a fire in her hands before setting the Star Miscanthus on fire.

"Goodness! Hong Yan, what are you doing?"

"Quickly stop! Hong Yan, those are Star Miscanthus!"

"Hong Yan what's wrong with you?"

The elders had a change of expression and immediately rushed forward to stop her.

However, they were too late for the Empress had already set fire to the entire bunch of Star Miscanthus. While they were all ablazed, she started waving them in the air. Starlight flickered into the air just like fireworks, as they whistled and sizzled in the air.

Beautiful!

It was too beautiful, especially in such a night setting.

At this point, the windows of the tower, including those on the eighth level had been open. Hence, the disciples down below could see the Star Miscanthus shooting out through the window. When they saw it, they all started cheering in jubilation.

"Look! It's Master Hua. He's really made it to the eighth level and could even set fire to Star Miscanthus like he did previously!"

"That's fantastic! Master Hua is really a role model for the cultivators in my generation! After saying he would make it to the top, he really did it! That's too amazing!"

"Holy! Everyone, run away! I remember Master Hua's words before he went up. He said he would reach the top and pee down!"

"Everyone run! Master Hua's pee will be extremely potent, and might even hurt people!"

Everyone started screaming in fear.

The cultivators around all split up in different directions in order to avoid being urinated on.

On the eighth level, the four Infant Transformation Cultivators were staring at the Empress and were all astonished.

The Empress before them… Was she the same woman who ruled the entire Water Nation? Why did she look so foreign then?

And why was she smiling while looking at the Star Miscanthus in her hand? Her smile was still extremely charming and beautiful which captivated anyone who looked at her.

"Senior sister, Hong Yan… What's happening to her? Why would she burn the Star Miscanthus? And she looked so happy doing it?" An elder asked curiously.

"Those are Sky Miscanthus! More than a hundred stalks…" The second elder who had given the entire bunch to her looked extremely pained.

The Empress continued waving the ignited bunch of Star Miscanthus.

When it had finished burning, she had left a permanent mark on the tower.

When everyone took a closer look, they realized the marks on the tower weren't random. They were words.

"In this life, I have to be the best person who ever existed. Even when I die, I will be an heroic ghost."

The Empress had used the flaming Star Miscanthus to write these words down. For some reason, these words held profound meaning for her and even caused the image of Xu Que to surface in her mind.

"Second elder…" After she had finished burning the entire bunch of Star Miscanthus, she then turned her head around to look at the second elder who was still holding onto other treasures.

"Ah? Hong Yan! I've already given you all the Star Miscanthus and have no more left. The rest are in the treasure room and we have use for them! I… I can't let you burn them all…" the elder hurriedly spoke out defensively.

"No, I'm not speaking of more Star Miscanthus. I… I wished to ask if we have rear chickens grown here in the sect? Can you grill some chicken wings for me to eat?"

She then thought about the decadent and delicious smelling chicken wings which Xu Que had roasted earlier on in the tower. The Empress wanted to learn his techniques and even had all his equipment needed to cook such delicious food.

"Hm… We do have chickens raised here in Sky Incense Valley. But Hong Yan, people eat chickens for their breast and thighs where there's meat. Nobody eats the chicken wings or feet. We usually throw those parts away. Why… Why do you wish to eat chicken wings? Those parts can't be eaten!"

The second elder heaved a sigh of relief as her request wasn't related to the remaining Star Miscanthus. However, how could people eat such strange parts of the chicken, like its wings? Much less a dignified monarch of a nation.

Nonetheless, what happened next caused the elders to eat their words. The Empress managed to gather several chickens before killing them off properly. She then took out the wings and emulated what Xu Que had done earlier and placed them on the grill to cook. She then added the necessary marination and waited. Before long, the same delicious smelling aroma wafted throughout the entire valley…

At first, everyone within the area from the disciples to elders had all rejected the idea of eating chicken wings. Even though the aroma got more and more delicious, everyone still thought that there was no meat in the wings and thus it couldn't be consumed.

Before long, under the graceful invitation of the Empress, the first disciple stepped forward to try. A second disciple stepped forward and ate it too…

The first elder also took a bite and the next elder stepped forward and bit onto it as well.

At the next moment, everything turned into chaos as all the Sky Incense Valley disciples and elders rushed forward to grab some chicken wings for themselves.

While the disciples completely immersed themselves within the new found delicacy, the Empress was by herself. She looked at the pan which Xu Que had used to fry the smelly tofu and thought deeply to herself. The stink which was emitted from the tofu was unrivaled and yet it tasted so delicious.

And at the same time, Xu Que who had taken great pains in order to use up his escape emblem, had appeared several hundred kilometers away, on a mountain with a loud whoosh.

"Heheh! I managed to act tough and flee yet again! Now, I truly dare to ask if anyone's as good in doing this as myself? It's just a pity that I left even before those four Infant Transformation Staged Cultivators arrived. If I could act tough in front of them, I might even have earned more act tough points. But... It was better to be cautious and careful. If not, it might backfire while I acted tough and make me look stupid."

The second he thought about these words, a long chain of system beeps rang out in his head.

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough, the reward is 40 act tough points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough, the reward is 60 act tough points!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough, the reward is 80 act tough points!"

The system beep sounded loudly within his mind. Xu Que had long gotten used to it and was instead proud of whatever he had achieved.

However, he had been walking within this mountainous valley for half a day and the beeps and notifications were still coming in. This made him feel rather stupid, for he had no idea what was happening.

"Fuck me 'till I'm dead. Who can tell me what on earth is happening? I… I didn't do anything at all! Could it be that my acting tough had gotten to a point where I'm full of acting tough auras? But, there's nothing here but plants and shrubs. There isn't' even a demonic beast around for me to act tough to? Looks like… My acting tough level had gotten to such a terrifying stage where I'm able to act tough to anything!"

Chapter 114: Fuck! Demonic Humans!

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"That's terrifying! My acting tough level! It's too impressive!"

Xu Que stood atop the mountain and raised his head to look at the passing clouds. His mind was still ringing with beeps and notifications and he was extremely glad.

The gentle wind blew across as his clothes flapped in the wind while he stared into a distance. He felt like a highly skilled martial artist standing atop a mountain, feeling unrivalled and yet lonely.

At the next moment however, he could see several shadows walking into the forest as they spoke to each other.

Xu Que happened to sweep his gaze across when he caught a short glimpse of those shadows. "Shit! Have my eyes gone bad? What were those people? Why did I see someone with horns on his head and another with a long tail on his back?"

The few shadows had already disappeared into the wilderness but Xu Que was still extremely curious. He was certain about whatever he saw and those shadows were clearly of humans. They even wore clothes and yet they weren't completely human.

"Have aliens invaded this realm of cultivators?" Xu Que widened his eyes and thought deeply.

After a while, his eyes lit up, "That's right. I almost forgot that there was another race apart from humans and demons in this realm. But that race... Wasn't it already extinct?"

He started to get extremely suspicious. According to the memories of the owner to this body, this other race belonged to the demonic humans.

Demonic humans were the descendants of a breed between humans and demonic beasts. A long time ago, this race was extremely powerful. They were born of human form and would occasionally bear traits of demonic beasts. For example, some would have horns and others would have wings or tails.

However, as the time passed, the relations between humans and demonic humans soured and this race plunged into an awkward situation. Both sides had regarded each other as enemies and started raising arms in a bid to wipe out the other party. At last, the demonic humans had no choice but to go into hiding and were rarely seen.

Rumors had it that the entire race had gone into extinction. Although people would see traces of them from time to time deep in the forest or mountains, causing far too many rumors and stories floating around.

Xu Que never imagined that he would actually get the chance to see these fabled demonic humans around when he had only wanted to look for a quiet place in order to get over with his 49 Tribulations.

"That's interesting. These are the original demonic humans which I've heard so much of." Xu Que's lips curled into a smile and started chasing after them in excitement.

He wasn't excited about meeting the demonic humans. Rather, he wanted to see what they were up to, for they were highly elusive. For all he knew, he might have another few opportunities to act tough!

He rode atop his Lightning Haste and leapt down from the mountaintop.

Before long, he reachrd a considerable distance behind the demonic humans. He then realized that they were three males and all of of them were of Golden Core Stage.

One of them had a pair of horns on his head while the other had a bushy tail, the last member having the most bizarre appearance. He had the torso of a man but the lower body of a snake!

"Hssss!" Xu Que looked at them and inhaled a breath of fresh air. He couldn't help but feel amazed. This last demonic human was the result of a human who had sex with a snake! Or was it a snake who had sex with a human? If it was the former, Xu Que would've admired the human, for their story would be similar to a popular tale titled Madame White Snake.

At the same time, their conversation could be heard by Xu Que.

"This time, we really have to catch several soft skinned and fleshy kids to bring back. If not, our King would definitely be angry."

"Yes! The last time we caught an old man, his flesh was so rubbery that the King had meat stuck in his teeth for days. He was angry even three days after and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of sixth brother."

"This time is different. Our King is extremely particular about the Thunder Tribulation Worship and is dead set on acquiring the throne and becoming the new Demon King. If we fail to catch some children as an offering, we would get beaten into a pulp for sure."

"Let's hurry up. I managed to chance upon several children playing by the lake. Some of them were extremely mischievous and kept on shouting something that the Lord of Commoners is a fake lord. I won't show them any mercy."

"Good!"

As they finished their discussion, they increased their speed and started making their way down from the mountain.

When Xu Que heard this, he raised his eyebrows.

"Damn! I thought this race would be good natured. Looks like they're the same as demonic beasts and enjoy eating humans!"

Without speaking a word or making a sound, he crept behind the three of them.

Later on, they arrived at a lake beneath the mountain.

The few demonic humans stopped and hid behind a tree. The snake-tailed demonic human crept stealthily into the river.

Xu Que slowly walked over towards the edge of the woods and looked around, noticing several children playing around and were running towards the lake.

Before long, all of them had reached the lake and a child then picked up a rock and threw it, causing ripples to form on the surface and water to splash out.

In that second, Xu Que could faintly hear the snake bodied human reeling in pain softly.

"Ai, these children really knows how to play but the blame should be on their parents for not looking after them properly. They even allowed their children to run amok around the lake. What if… What if… They trample over the flowerbeds and trees, and damage the environment? What would happen then?" Xu Que started to worry for mother nature and the environment all of a sudden.

"Splash!" a loud sound could be heard on the surface of the lake as a huge wave splashed out from the middle.

"Hehe… little brother, throwing stones must be fun huh? Let me take you somewhere more fun!" The snake-bodied man splashed out from the depths of the lake and opened out his arms, dashing towards the group of children.

At the same time, the pair of demonic humans jumped out from behind the trees they were hiding to obstruct the path of the escaping children.

"Ah!!!"

"Mom! Dad! Save me!"

The children were so frightened, they started to wail loudly as mucus ran down their noses.

"The human race's children are extremely noisy! Quickly knock them out before their parents are alerted!" The man with the horns on his head shouted out and the three of them started closing in on the children.

"What audacity! In full daylight, in full view of everyone, you dare to bully these children? Stop it right now!"

"Boom!"

All of a sudden, a flash of lightning could be seen as Xu Que rode atop twin bolts of lightning while he shouted at the demonic humans.

The children and the three demonic humans paused in shock as they looked up at Xu Que in a daze.

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 30 act tough points!"

Xu Que's lips curled upwards as he gripped onto the Great Buster Sword and pointed it at the three demonic humans and laughed coldly, "This road was built by me and these trees were planted by me. You're in the territory of Heavenly Explosion Faction and dare to kidnap children here? Have you seeked permission from me, Yang Guo, the Eagle Warrior?"

(T/N: Yang Guo is the protagonist of popular Chinese film, Legends of the Condor Heroes)

Clearly, he was sick of pretending to be Hua Wu Que and now decided to act as Yang Guo.

He had also made an extremely grand entrance. At first, he caused the rumble of thunder to echoe before riding in over bolts of lightning. This caused the three demonic humans to feel some fear.

The minute they saw that Xu Que was a daoist, their faces fell and looked extremely nervous.

"Damn it! We were discovered by a human daoist."

"We've managed to evade detection for so many years. Could it really be that today…"

The snake-bodied man looked up as his eyes gleamed, "No. We have to kill him off. If not, our entire race would be exposed and calamity would befall."

"Old snake, watch these children. He's only a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator. We can handle him." The man with horns on his head nodded at the children before a killing intent welled up in his eyes.

Xu Que was extremely elated as he shook his head, "I didn't even say I was going to kill you and you speak of killing me? If that's the case, bring it on. I shall allow you the first ten moves."

The man with horns laughed aloud through gritted teeth, "Wow, what a boastful man! We don't need you to allow us ten moves. We'll-"

"Boom!"

Even before he could finish, Xu Que swung his Great Buster Sword and slammed it atop the head of the demonic beast. His horns was smashed into powder as blood seeped out from a crack on his head, dripping down.

The demonic human was stunned as he looked at Xu Que in shock.

Xu Que shouted out forcefully, "Why are you looking at me like that?! Didn't you say you didn't need me to give you ten moves?!"

"Boom!"

The demonic human's eyes rolled backwards as he fell heavily onto the ground with a loud smash. He didn��t even have a time to groan or reply and died on the spot.

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for killing a Golden Core Stage demonic human. The reward is 50,000 experience points and a golden core!"

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 40 act tough points!"

The system beeps rang out consecutively as Xu Que turned his gaze towards the remaining pair of demonic humans, "Come, it's your turn now. Tell me, how many moves should I allow you to strike at me?"

The pair of them revealed looks of sheer terror and were so horrified, they couldn't even speak. At the next moment, they turned around to flee.

Xu Que watched them and realized that they didn't know any movement techniques and ran physically. He paid special attention towards the snake-bodied man. Although he had no legs, he ran pretty fast.

Xu Que shook his head and turned around to speak to the kids, "This hero is going to catch those two bad men. Run along home and remember not to come this far out without your parents. Understood?"

"Understood. Thank you Eagle Warrior!" The students nodded their heads like roosters in acknowledgement.

"Hm! Run along now!" Xu Que smiled as he lifted his Great Buster Sword and placed it on his shoulder before turning around to pursue the escaping demonic humans.

At this time, the last child was extremely curious as he chased up with Xu Que and asked, "Eagle Warrior, where is your eagle? Can I take a look at your eagle?"

Xu Que paused and replied blandly, "My eagle is sleeping in my pants. Little children shouldn't look at it."

As he finished speaking, he turned around and rode atop his lightning bolts and started chasing after the runaway demonic humans.

The children looked at him in shock as one of them mumbled, "The Eagle Warrior is so cool. When I grow up, I wish to marry him."

"Idiot. You are a boy."

"Then… I shall let him marry me."

"Right. Your father will beat you to death if you speak like that again."

Chapter 115: Disguising As A Demon

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"Whoosh!" The two demonic humans frantically rushed into the forest and were scared out of their wits.

The snake-bodied human gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it! Since when did human Cultivators get so strong? He killed that old bull in one move."

"We are finished. The King will definitely not let us off when we return." Another one of them spoke while sobbing.

"Woosh!" a figure in black robe streaked past the both of them abruptly. Immediately after, an ink-colored Great Buster Sword appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

"The both of you were already running too slow and still have the time to chit-chat?" Xu Que stood in front of them and laughed.

The demonic human's expressions fell. They replied with trembling voices, "How…nhow could this be? How is he able to catch up to us?"

"Why not? Stop with this crap and quickly give me your necks. I will finish the both of you off in one move."

"Mercy, noble warrior! We were being forced!" The fur-tailed human sat down on the ground and scowled.

Xu Que looked at the snake-bodied human and laughed, "He's already kneeling down to beg for mercy. How about you? You have quite the guts!"

The snake-bodied human shook his head with a gloomy look on his face and replied, "I… I want to kneel down but I don't have legs and can't do it!"

"..." Xu Que smacked his lips and propped his Buster Sword on the ground. He then said, "Answer me first. What do the both of you mean by the Thunder Tribulations Worship?"

The fur-tailed man immediately replied, "This is a kind of worship used to elect our new Demon King. It happens once every ten years and everyone from different tribes can participate in it. The one who possesses the mightiest powers to pass the Heavenly Tribulation will be the newly-appointed Demon King."

"Just like that? What if nobody participates in the Heavenly Tribulations on the day of worship?" Xue Que questioned in doubt.

The snake-bodied human shook his head, "That is impossible. A few years prior to the worship, those who are required to participate in the Tribulation will have to suppress their Heavenly Tribulation date until the actual day of worship arrives."

"Oh, the Heavenly Tribulation can even be suppressed?" Xu Que became excited.

"Of course! One only needs to seal his own strength and restrain his aura to be able to put off his own Heavenly Tribulation. On top of that, over a long period of time, one may be able to call upon even greater and more powerful Heavenly Tribulation!"

"Are you guys courting disaster?" Xu Que became a little speechless. When one's Heavenly Tribulation become greater and more powerful, it will become increasingly difficult to cross. If a person dies during it, he wouldn't even become a Demon, let alone a Demon King.

"When does the Thunder Tribulations Worship start?"

"Two days later!" the snake-tailed man replied.

Oh? Two days later?

Xu Que's eyes lit up. His own Heavenly Tribulations was also coincidentally in two days' time!

'This is going to be fun. My Heavenly Tribulations is in the Difficult Mode. I shall compare whose Tribulation is harder!'

He then thought of something. Turning to the two demonic humans, he asked, "How many people will be participating in the Thunder Tribulations Worship this time round? What Cultivation stage will all of them be roughly?"

The both of them looked at each other and laughed bitterly, "We don't know exactly how many people due to the many different Tribes participating. However, this year, there are only two suitable candidates to be appointed as the new Demon King."

"One of them is the King of our Thousand Demon Tribe, the Tiger-Dragon King. Another one of them is the King from the Sky Demon Tribe, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! They have already been in the Full Foundation Original Infant Stage for many years. They have been stabilizing their powers for a long time just for the Thunder Tribulations Worship in two days' time!"

"Only at the Full Foundation Original Infant Stage?" Xu Que picked his brows and asked again, "Only the demon-race can join the Thunder Tribulations Worship?"

"Mm, that's right."

"As long as one is half-man half-demon, he is allowed to participate?"

"Correct."

"If one is of demon-raced but looks a little like a human on the outside, can he still participate?"

"It should be… alright."

"That's all. You guys may go but don't let me see your faces again." Xu Que waved his hand, prompting the both of them to leave his sight.

The two demonic humans were stunned. They were somewhat in doubt of his words. After looking at one another, they quickly fled the scene without a single word as if afraid that Xu Que would go back on his words anytime.

On the other hand, Xu Que grinned from ear to ear while looking at the both of them fleeing into distance. After they completely vanished from sight, Xu Que took his time and calmly executed his Lightning Haste, following their path.

Letting these two demons off so easily? Of course not.

Xu Que's only thought was to take the opportunity to sneak into their tribe and cross the Tribulation. This way, he could earn some act tough points.

The two demonic humans were fast on their tracks. Moreover, they were on a desolate and narrow path filled with pitfalls and traps.

However, it was a pity that these two men had never trained any form of martial arts. As a result, it was an easy task for Xu Que to follow them far from behind without being detected.

Soon, after bypassing several hidden tunnels, Xu Que and the two demonic humans appeared within a lush forest.

To the sides of the forest were protective walls formed by several spells. It looked very majestic.

Also, vague pulses of killing intent could be felt from it.

Xu Que could not help but be amazed. He could see that it was at least a mid-ranked Spell.

At the same time, the two demonic humans outside the Spell Area muttered intelligible chants before the protective walls immediately opened up and an entrance took form.

Before Xu Que could take a peek at what was beyond the protective wall, the two demonic humans had already stepped inside, after which, the entrance on the wall closed quickly.

"Seems interesting. I shall put on my disguise for a while."

Xu Que muttered the command and took out an item from within his system inventory. It was the "Disguise Puppet" which he acquired from the Big Growth Gift Pack quite a while ago.

:

Disguises as another party with 100% accuracy and imitates the target's Cultivation Stage. However, the user's true strength is not copied. Duration: 1 hour. (Disguise targets are limited to Cultivators below the Infant Transformation Stage.)"

Xu Que had a total of two of these items. However, he never had the chance to make use of it. In this situation, he could disguise as a demonic human and sneak into the Tribe without anyone knowing.

On the flip side, there were quite a few limitations of the Disguise Puppet. It could only be used for 2 hours and the disguise is limited to Cultivators below the Infant Transformation Stage.

At once, Xu Que called out to the system and asked, "System, is it possible to increase the usage limit for this Disguise Puppet? Can I also use it to disguise as something not of this world?"

"Ding! Host is recommended to perform synthesis on the Disguise Puppet. It will have the aforementioned function after upgrade."

"Sysnthesis?"

While Xu Que was in doubt, the system interface started to change in front of his eyes and transformed into an interface with a synthesis function.

There were nine blank grids on the top and they formed a circle. Also, there were fine lines connecting each of the blank grids, with the last line connecting to the middle of the circle, which contained larger grid. It was similar to those online games which also had the synthesis interface in the previous world.

Xu Que happened to be an avid gamer in the previous world too. After witnessing this, it was a second nature to him.

He took out both of the Disguise Puppet from his system inventory and placed them into the blank grids on the outermost layer. He screamed "Synthesize!" in his mind.

"Ding! Do you want to consume 100 act tough points to synthesis the Disguise Puppet?"

Damn! Doing this needs points too?

Xu Que widened his eyes momentarily. However, he reluctantly went with "Yes" in the end.

No choice. No pain, no gain. Treat it as an investment!

"Pew!"

In the moment, the system synthesizing interface started to rotate rapidly and the two Disguise Puppets started to disappear. After a white light flashed past, the system beep sounded.

"Ding! Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' on successfully synthesizing the 'High-ranked Disguise Puppet!"

:

Disguises as another party with 100% accuracy and allows user to freely choose Cultivation Stage as display. However, the user's true strength is not increased or decreased with the Cultivation Stage display. Duration: 2 hours. (After the duration ends, every hour of extension will consume 1 act tough point! )"

"Damn! System, you are such a scammer. You won't even let 1 act tough point off as a good will charge. Are you even human?" Xu Que started to reprimand on the spot.

"Ding! I, the system, do not belong to the human race!" The system answered indifferently.

Xu Que pouted his lips for he knew that he could not do anything about it. Afterall, there was nothing wrong with that reply.

He took another look at the "High-rank Disguise Puppet" in his system inventory. It indeed transformed into a High-ranked item after synthesis and it had much more freedom and choice in his functionality. For example, one could freely control his Cultivation Stage to be displayed. In this way, a Qi Refining Stage cultivator could 'pretend to be a pig to prey on the tiger' or act as a Transformation Infant Stager to scare others.

Of course, the most important part was that he could freely disguise as anyone. One could say that Xu Que can even disguise as Buddha if he wanted to!

However, Xu Que felt that he wasn't a flamboyant person but instead was very humble and modest. Disguising as Buddha would be too high-profile for him. Also, that would fall short of the current task of disguising which was to become a half-man, half-demon.

As such, without hesitation, Xu Que confirmed his appearance to disguise with the system.

"System, transform me into a messenger who… Tathagata Buddha, the Jade Emperor and Guanyin Bodhisattva designated to undertake a journey to the West and had to undergo Huaguo Mountain and Shui Lian Dong, his aliases are the great Monkey King, The Great Sage whose name is Sun Wu Kong…"