Inside the small building, in Tun Tun's cozy spot.
Tun Tun lay comfortably, its beast eyes slightly narrowed and filled with contentment. Back at the Hundred Fragrances Restaurant, Zhou Yuan had indulged its every desire, serving up all the lavish meals it usually couldn't bear to order.
So, as Tun Tun gazed at Zhou Yuan, who sat before it with a smiling face, its eyes held a profound affection. It thought that if Zhou Yuan treated it this well every day, his standing in its heart might even reach one percent of Yaoyao's...
However, what puzzled it slightly was how Zhou Yuan kept grinning at it like an idiot.
Oh well, as long as he treated it kindly, it would accept him, even if he were an idiot.
As Tun Tun mulled this over, it felt sleepy.
“My dear Tun Tun...” Zhou Yuan, who was now seated before it, had a wide, genial smile, gentle eyes, and a kindly voice.
“See here, do you know how much you consumed in that last meal? Eight hundred and sixty Source Jades.” Zhou Yuan held up both palms, demonstrating the amount.
Tun Tun was exceptionally intelligent and highly perceptive, so it naturally understood Zhou Yuan’s words. It immediately grew a little shy, covering its eyes with its small paws, as it knew Zhou Yuan only received thirty Source Jades a month.
If Zhou Yuan had no other income, that single meal of Tun Tun’s alone would have consumed several years of his earnings...
“Would you like to eat like this regularly in the future?” Zhou Yuan coaxed gently.
Tun Tun nodded vigorously, its beast eyes sparkling.
Zhou Yuan offered a gentle smile and said, “If you wish to enjoy meals like this often, the prerequisite is for me to have enough Source Jades. So, I now need a tiny favor from you. Afterward, I'll be able to acquire more Source Jades, which means you can regularly indulge in grand feasts.”
Tun Tun paused, then eyed Zhou Yuan with a hint of wariness. Instinctively, it perceived a faint trace of danger.
On the balcony, Yaoyao was basking in the sunlight, a rolled ancient book held in her small hand. She cast a subtle glance into the room, and a slight curve touched her red lips.
Zhou Yuan looked at Tun Tun, then produced a small jade vial from his sleeve and smiled, “It’s actually very simple: I just need to draw a tiny bit of your blood!”
Tun Tun's fur bristled all over its body, and it curled up, letting out a low growl at Zhou Yuan.
This fellow actually dared to draw its blood!
“If you won’t even help me with this small favor, I’m afraid we won’t be able to visit the Hundred Fragrances Restaurant ever again,” Zhou Yuan stated calmly. Yet, the implicit threat in his words was intensely strong.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Tun Tun’s beast eyes.
Clearly, it was caught in an intense internal struggle.
“Just think about the lavish meal you just had. Wasn’t it far more delicious than dried jerky? If you can’t go there again in the future, won’t you be terribly disappointed?” Zhou Yuan’s words were laced with temptation.
Ultimately, Tun Tun let out a mournful whimper, then dejectedly extended a paw. It was clear it could not resist Zhou Yuan’s temptation and had conceded.
Seeing this, a smile spread across Zhou Yuan’s lips. With a grip of his hand, the Heavenly Yuan Brush expanded, its snowy white bristles glinting with a sharp, cold light.
Zhou Yuan channeled his strength, and the brush tip became a blinding flash, striking out fiercely and plunging into Tun Tun’s paw.
Sparks flew as the sharp brush tip struck Tun Tun’s scale-covered paw, yet it merely left a mark, utterly failing to pierce through it.
Zhou Yuan was dumbfounded. Its defensive capabilities were simply too formidable.
From the side, Tun Tun shot him a disdainful look, as if to say, *“I let you poke me, and you still can't pierce it. How utterly useless...”*
Zhou Yuan’s face flushed, and he mumbled, “My Heavenly Yuan Brush is, after all, merely a Mid-grade Profound Origin Weapon, and its fourth pattern still hasn't awakened...”
He lifted the brush, took a deep breath, and Origin Qi surged, converging at the brush tip to form a purple profound glow.
It was clearly the Profound Glow Art.
The brush tip whistled down again, but this time, it finally yielded results. It at last made a small incision on Tun Tun’s paw, and fresh blood immediately began to drip.
Zhou Yuan quickly extended the jade vial to catch the blood drops.
It was only then that he noticed Tun Tun’s blood was a profound, deep gold. Each drop appeared incredibly heavy, emitting a mysterious ripple.
“What a substantial weight,”
Zhou Yuan’s hand, holding the jade vial, felt slightly heavy. Tun Tun’s blood was indeed unusually dense.
“This is truly something special,” Zhou Yuan murmured, licking his lips. Instinctively, he knew Tun Tun’s blood was extraordinary. He immediately took hold of Tun Tun’s paw, squeezing it firmly to make the blood from the small incision drip faster and more profusely.
A few minutes later, Zhou Yuan finally managed to fill one jade vial with blood.
However, he still couldn't resist licking his lips, and quickly pulled out another jade vial, his eyes gleaming with fervent desire as he urged, “A little more, just a little more!”
Such an opportunity was rare; every drop counted!
But in response to his behavior, Tun Tun let out an angry growl, abruptly lifting its paw and fiercely striking the insatiable Zhou Yuan on the chest.
A dull thud resonated, followed by a yelp of pain.
Zhou Yuan’s body crashed straight through the small building’s window, arcing through the air, and landing ungracefully on the ground, yelping in discomfort.
On the balcony, Yaoyao raised the ancient book in her hand, obscuring her eyes, choosing not to watch this self-inflicted, presumptuous fellow.
Zhou Yuan lay on the ground, clutching his chest as he slowly rose. He first checked that the jade vial hadn’t shattered, only then letting out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but shake his head, muttering, “Stingy creature, what’s wrong with collecting just one more vial…?”
He rubbed his chest, which ached faintly. Tun Tun, that creature, had struck with excessive force.
“But at least I finally got it.” He lightly tossed the jade vial in his hand, a look of delight spreading across his face. If Yaoyao was truly correct, Tun Tun’s blood should be able to elevate the high-grade Fourth-Rank Origin Beast essence blood in his possession to the equivalent of Fifth-Rank.
“What happened?”
As joy swelled in Zhou Yuan’s heart, a delicate voice suddenly came from nearby. He looked up to see Gu Hongyi standing not far away, her pretty face etched with a puzzled expression as she gazed at him.
“Nothing,” Zhou Yuan replied, putting away the jade vial with a smile.
“What brings you here?” he asked.
Gu Hongyi hesitated for a moment, then said, “I heard you went to Linlang Pavilion to purchase Origin Beast essence blood for cultivating the Nine Dragon Scripture, but Lu Feng snatched it away first?”
Zhou Yuan’s expression remained calm as he nodded and said, “He beat me to it and purchased the only Fifth-Rank Origin Beast essence blood.”
Gu Hongyi lightly bit her lip, and a trace of anger flickered in her eyes. Lu Feng’s actions clearly filled her with disdain.
Her delicate hand suddenly twitched, and a dark object was tossed toward Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan took it in surprise; it felt cool to the touch. It, too, was a jade vial, and within it, viscous blood flowed, emitting violent and fierce fluctuations.
“Fifth-Rank Dragon-attributed Origin Beast essence blood?” Zhou Yuan exclaimed, surprised.
“I pulled some strings to acquire this from the Inner Mountain, but it's the only one of its kind,” Gu Hongyi explained.
Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised, clearly not having expected Gu Hongyi to go to such lengths to acquire a Fifth-Rank Dragon-attributed Origin Beast essence blood for him. He immediately shook his head, saying, “There’s no need…”
Gu Hongyi waved her delicate hand, cutting him off. “Don’t be so wishy-washy,” she said. “After all, my involvement is partly why you and Lu Feng have this animosity, so I can’t just stand by.”
She looked at Zhou Yuan, then unexpectedly smiled, stating teasingly, “I heard you told Lu Feng you intend to snatch his first place at the Mountain Selection Ceremony?”
“That statement has already spread, and many are now laughing at you for overestimating yourself.”
Zhou Yuan was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected the words to spread so quickly; it seemed Lu Feng had done it deliberately.
“I don’t particularly enjoy stirring up trouble, but his repeated provocations mean that if I don’t retaliate, it wouldn’t be true to my nature,” Zhou Yuan said with a smile. “What, you don’t have much faith in me?”
“Reason tells me your chances are slim,” Gu Hongyi’s rosy lips curled slightly as she said, “However, I would certainly like to witness you snatching his first place.”
Zhou Yuan nodded, saying, “Then I’ll take that as a good omen.”
Gu Hongyi was equally decisive. Waving her small hand, she turned and soared on Origin Qi towards the small building nestled in the distant mountain gorge.
“Work hard. There isn’t much time left until the Mountain Selection Ceremony, and I’m very much looking forward to your performance.”
Her voice faintly echoed through the gorge.
Zhou Yuan watched her disappearing figure, then tossed the bottle of Fifth-Rank Origin Beast essence blood in his hand. He gazed into the distance, a cold glint appearing in his slightly narrowed eyes.
“Lu Feng…”
“You preemptively snatched that essence blood, which indicates that you harbor some apprehension towards me, hence resorting to such measures to ensure complete security…”
“However, if you believe this can impede me, I’m afraid I can only say you are far too naive!”
“At the Mountain Selection Ceremony, that first place you covet… I will definitely snatch it!”
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