Chapter 655: Unlucky Wu Zhen (Part 1)

"If we keep fighting, I'm afraid... you'll get more seriously injured. Let's just stop. Whatever kind of bet you want to make, however you want to wager, I'm in..."

Seeing the two clear large footprints on the girl's full, shapely backside, Zhang Xuan said with an embarrassed expression. He knew he couldn't defeat her in a fair fight, and if they continued with the current dynamic, he couldn't predict what other embarrassing incidents might occur. He was already very embarrassed after kicking her bottom twice. If he continued, even with his thick skin, he felt he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Fine!"

Princess Feier was furious, wishing she could kill the guy right then and there. Yet, she also knew that if they continued fighting, she would definitely be at a disadvantage. She stood up and nodded. Her dark eyes blazed with fury, as if she wanted to roast him alive.

"Since we're both going to the Cleansing Pool, let's make that the condition for our bet!"

"Alright, how do we bet?" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

"The 'pool eye' of the Cleansing Pool has a limited supply of spiritual energy. The so-called 'three days' is just an approximate timeframe. In reality, 'Spirit-Cleansing Incense' will be given to those who enter for cultivation," Princess Feier continued. "The Spirit-Cleansing Incense, when placed in the pool eye, can detect the concentration of spiritual energy and control its burning speed based on the energy's consumption. During normal cultivation, one stick burns down in exactly one day and one night. So, the 'three days' of cultivation time actually means burning three sticks of incense. Regardless of which pool eye you're in, once the incense burns out, you must exit."

Since cultivation speeds vary, the effects of three days would certainly differ. How then could one ensure the spiritual energy in the pool eye was fully absorbed without encountering danger? The Spirit-Cleansing Incense was the key. This incense stick could also burn when inserted into the Cleansing Pool, changing its burning speed based on how quickly the spiritual energy was consumed. Once three sticks burned out, one had to leave; this was a long-standing rule that no one could break. This had already been mentioned at the banquet, and Zhang Xuan was aware of it.

"So... our bet is simple. Tomorrow at noon, we'll both enter the Cleansing Pool simultaneously. Whoever burns through three Spirit-Cleansing Incense sticks first wins!"

"'Whoever burns through them first wins'?" Zhang Xuan was surprised; he hadn't expected this kind of wager. The speed at which the Spirit-Cleansing Incense burned was directly proportional to the rate at which one absorbed the spiritual energy from the pool eye. To accelerate the latter, one needed a more powerful soul. In other words... the stronger one's soul power, the faster the Spirit-Cleansing Incense would burn.

His opponent was a Bridge Heaven realm expert, whose soul had been nourished by the Spirit Fusion realm and had become very powerful. Betting with him was clearly an attempt to take advantage of his own weaker, Impure Clarity realm soul... However... she probably never dreamed that his soul wasn't weak; it was incredibly strong! Having cultivated the Witch Soul, his soul could already leave his physical body. If he truly began to absorb, even an Eight-layered Transcendent Mortal realm expert would likely be no match for him, let alone her.

"Are you sure you want to make this bet?" He looked at her with a sympathetic expression. He didn't need to think; if she really made this bet, it would be difficult for her not to lose.

"That's right! What's wrong? You were so smug just now, but now you're scared?" Princess Feier asked, looking confident.

"Well..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head. "Tell me the terms of the wager!"

"The wager is simple: If I win, starting today, I'll no longer be your maidservant, nor will I owe you spirit stones! And if you win... I'll give you another ten thousand spirit stones, or... serve as your maidservant for another five months, how about that?"

"Serve as my maidservant for another five months? Let's forget that..." After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xuan shook his head. Whether he had a maidservant or not didn't matter to him; it had just been a joke initially. He thought spirit stones would be more practical than that.

"You don't agree? Do you actually want me to marry you?" Hearing his refusal, Princess Feier gritted her teeth in anger.

"Marry me?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. "You wish!"

"You..." Princess Feier clutched her hair. Countless master teachers from the Master Teacher Academy revolved around her, eager to win her favor. Yet this guy, when she implied marrying him, actually said "You wish"... Who did he think he was?

"My meaning is simple: forget the maidservant part. Just pay me ten thousand spirit stones!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Fine, it's settled then..." Gritting her teeth, Princess Feier turned and left. She simply couldn't talk to him anymore, fearing she'd be infuriated to death if they continued the conversation.

Having avoided prying eyes, she had just arrived back at her residence when Luo Qiqi came to meet her. Seeing her appearance, Luo Qiqi couldn't help but be stunned. "What happened to you?"

At that moment, Princess Feier's clothes were torn in several places, revealing her fair skin. Her hair and face were covered in dirt, as if she had been rolling in the mud, looking utterly disheveled.

"It's nothing... I have some injuries that are inconvenient for me to apply ointment to myself. Go back and put some healing salve on me!" She had lost the bet, then gone looking for trouble and couldn't help but attack... It would have been fine if she had succeeded, but instead, she was thrashed, her bottom swollen from kicks. Such a disgraceful matter, she couldn't possibly say it out loud, not even if she died!

"You're injured?" Luo Qiqi's eyebrows furrowed. "Who did this?"

"I told you it's nothing; just put the healing medicine on me..." Princess Feier's face flushed.

"Alright!" Seeing she didn't want to elaborate, Luo Qiqi stopped asking. "If it's an external injury, I happen to have a bottle of Pine Blood Ointment. Dean Hu of the Pill Refinement Institute specifically concocted it for me; it works wonders on external wounds. Applying it now shouldn't delay your entry into the Cleansing Pool tomorrow!"

"No need, Wu Zhen just gave me a bottle of sacred healing medicine. He said no matter how severe the external injury, just pouring it on would heal it within a few breaths... Could you help me apply a little?" Princess Feier flicked her wrist and produced a wine gourd. She couldn't reach or see the injuries on her bottom. Although it was embarrassing to have someone else apply the medicine, it was better than walking around with a red, limping backside.

"Sacred healing medicine?" Luo Qiqi was startled.

"Yes, he said it was a welcome gift from several vassal states. We tried it on the spot, and the effect was excellent; even a gushing wound could heal instantly!" Princess Feier said, "He swore it was effective and insisted I take it, so I accepted it. We can try its effect now!"

"There's such a potent medicine?" Luo Qiqi exclaimed in admiration, then followed Princess Feier into the room.

Soon after they entered, a pig-like shriek was heard, immediately followed by Princess Feier's furious roar echoing throughout the courtyard.

"Argh... Wu Zhen, you bastard!"

Wu Zhen poked his head out of his room, looking puzzled. "Who called me?"

After bidding farewell to Princess Feier, Zhang Xuan returned to his own room. He took out the Ice Rain Sword, allowed it to recognize him as its master, and tested it. Finding it exceptionally easy to handle, he put it away. After flying continuously for over a month and fighting two battles, he felt exhausted after meditating for a while and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight. Walking out of his room, he saw Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai approaching him, their expressions excited and filled with gratitude. Upon returning last night, both of them had taken the Spirit Fusion Pill and had now broken through to the mid-Spirit Fusion realm. Although they had only advanced by one minor level, their souls had become more refined, and their True Qi was much more robust. The reason they could achieve this was precisely because of this young man.

"Let's go to the imperial palace. The Cleansing Pool is opening, so we must get there early!" After breakfast, Master Hong approached. The allocation of spots this time had allowed the Hongfeng Empire to display its might, leaving the other three vassal states breathless. This filled Master Hong with excitement, making him full of energy in his work.

The imperial palace in Phantom Feather Capital was even more expansive and magnificent than the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. Its opulent golden decoration exuded the awe-inspiring majesty of a crouching tiger and coiling dragon, making anyone who entered feel solemn and afraid to even breathe.

Led by two eunuchs, they entered the main hall of the imperial palace, where Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and others had already arrived. After a night of treatment, everyone's appearance had improved significantly. However, upon closer inspection, one could still vaguely discern the bruises and marks on their faces. As cultivation progressed and the physical body grew stronger, recovery from injuries also became considerably slower. Although they all possessed extremely valuable healing medicines, they were still far inferior to Zhang Xuan's True Qi, which could heal injuries at any time.

"Hmm? What's up with that guy?" It wasn't surprising that these people were bruised and swollen. However, looking up, he saw someone who caught him off guard. Wu Zhen, who had been sitting beside the Crown Prince and receiving gifts last night, had somehow also acquired dark circles around his eyes. Although the swelling on his face had gone down, one could still faintly see signs of a severe beating. Who would dare lay a hand on a distinguished top student from the Master Teacher Academy, a figure even Emperor Ye Wentian and Crown Prince Ye Qian respected, and beat him up like that?

Not only Zhang Xuan, but others also noticed, all looking puzzled.

While he was still curious, Wu Zhen walked over, fuming. "Master Zhang... I have something to ask you!"

"Greetings, Master Wu!" Zhang Xuan clasped his fists.

"Cut the formalities. What exactly is going on with this medicinal wine?" With a flick of his wrist, Wu Zhen produced a wine gourd from his palm, his face contorted in anger. Although Zhang Xuan had vehemently claimed yesterday that it was a gift from Master Hong, Wu Zhen had discerned some clues and knew it must be related to Master Zhang.

"This medicinal wine?" Zhang Xuan was startled, then suddenly realized. "You used it?" That was no medicinal wine; it was ordinary liquor. It had only worked for healing before because his True Qi had been stored within it. As time passed, the True Qi would gradually dissipate, naturally rendering it ineffective. It seemed this guy had definitely used it, with no effect.

"Not me... but it had absolutely no effect!" The more Wu Zhen thought about it, the angrier he became. Last night, when he heard the Sixth Princess call him, he had excitedly rushed over, only to be brutally beaten almost to death. He then realized it was because the medicine was useless. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so as soon as Zhang Xuan appeared, he sought him out.

"How could it be useless? You just happen to have injuries on your face, let me test it on you!" Seeing that Wu Zhen was indeed angry about this, how could Zhang Xuan admit it? He took the wine gourd, shook it twice, and injected a stream of True Qi into it.

"Test it?" Wu Zhen had expected the other party to be scared, but seeing his composure, he frowned.

"Yes, here..." Zhang Xuan casually handed the wine gourd over, saying, "If you don't believe me, take a sip!"