Chapter 42: Crazy Green Creatures (part 2)
"Anakin, bring that person here," Xenos ordered Anakin.
"Yes, My Lord."
It didn't take long for Anakin to return with the person. The individual stood before the three leaders, visibly nervous, clutching the cultivation book tightly.
"Let me see the book."
"But, Lo-lord Xenos..."
"Bastard, hand over the book right now! Or do you want to stay here forever?!" Lin Xu interjected, impatient with the person's hesitation.
"Y-yes, sir..."
Reluctantly, the individual passed the book to Xenos. Their realm was only in the third stage of the body tempering realm, leaving them with no choice. Despite being the one who found the book, everyone had participated in the battle. In this world, might determined authority, and the individual could only blame themselves for their foolishness.
As Xenos read the book, his expression kept changing—excitement and confusion flickered across his face, causing the others, who observed him attentively, to grow nervous.
Xenos and Lin Xu had allowed Xenos to read the book first, given his knowledge of cultivation books and techniques as someone who hailed from the capital.
After some time, Xenos closed the book, taking a deep breath. Even someone who had encountered a fair amount of cultivation books, like himself, couldn't help but be amazed.
Moreover, there were not many cultivation books in the kingdom's arsenal that could aid practitioners in achieving the Opening Qi Realm. Judging from the contents of the book, Xenos could tell that it ranked at the top of its grade among all the Opening Qi Realm cultivation books he had read.
The cultivation book he currently held was fire-oriented, matching his affinity for fire elements. Although he couldn't utilize it, his subordinates could.
"Lord Xenos, what is it?" Patriarch Song asked, filled with excitement.
"It's a body-type cultivation book that can help one reach the peak of the Opening Qi Realm."
The noise level in the vicinity rose as most people present, excluding the prominent trio, did not possess cultivation books.
"Are you sure?" Patriarch Song asked once again, unable to contain his excitement. Lin Xu's anger over his elder's death had been replaced by enthusiasm as he stared at the book with eager eyes.
"Yes... Take a look for yourself, but both of you need to return it to me for safekeeping. Once we're done here, we can compete for this book through an auction. Is that agreeable?" Xenos stated, his expression serious.
"Okay," Patriarch Song replied after some contemplation.
"Xenos, don't play any tricks," Lin Xu agreed, issuing a warning.
Xenos felt relieved that the two had agreed, as it would have been a major problem if they had started fighting there and then.
Xenos passed the book to Patriarch Song, who examined it for a few minutes before returning it to Xenos.
"Anakin, announce to everyone that it's time to move," Xenos commanded Anakin, who stood nearby.
"Everyone, get ready! It's time to move!" Anakin shouted.
Although the individuals wore discontented expressions, they nevertheless readied themselves to proceed.
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"Father, they also acquired a cultivation book," Alix whispered to Arnoux beside him.
"Yes... I'm not sure if it's the same cultivation book we obtained."
When they regained consciousness earlier, they discovered the bodies of the green monsters surrounding them. After the bodies vanished, a book lay on the ground before them.
They had obtained a cultivation book, a discovery that filled Arnoux with ecstasy. Upon reading it, he realized that the book consisted of three stages.
Surprisingly, Arnoux successfully practiced the exercises
within an hour, as if they were tailor-made for him. Although he had only reached the initial stage of the first phase, he felt exhilarated as he sensed his strength multiply.
The exercises flowed effortlessly for him.
He then proceeded to teach the exercises to everyone else, and like him, they achieved success. However, it took everyone else two hours, except for Alix, who accomplished it in just one hour, like Arnoux.
After everyone successfully practiced the exercises, they immediately set out to hunt the goblin riders. Their newfound strength from the exercises filled them with confidence. One-on-one battles with goblins posed no challenge for them. Throughout the day, Arnoux's cultivation soared from the second stage to the fifth stage of the body tempering realm.
The others achieved the third stage to the fourth stage of the body tempering realm.
"Okay, let's focus on our journey and refrain from discussing it further," Arnoux suggested.
With that, the expedition resumed shortly after.