Chapter 142: Young Master

Clap, clap, clap.

Three claps sounded, and a Young Master in a white-gold long robe walked over.

The long robe was pure white throughout, embroidered with golden threads forming intricate patterns, seemingly concealing some profound mystery within, making him appear dashing and full of presence.

Beside the Young Master followed a maidservant, her face indifferent, never leaving his side, holding a beautiful jade flute, from which the flute music just now must have come.

"Good technique, such a quick reaction," the Young Master said, tapping a folding fan against his left hand, praising Li Qi's quick response.

Li Qi came to his senses, looked at him, and then glanced at his own clothes.

Wow, his clothes were so tacky, not as handsome as the other person's at all.

Should he change his outfit? But he had no money…

Li Qi thought to himself.

As for nervousness or fear of encountering an enemy…

There was none at all; there was nothing to be afraid of. These two were merely Ninth-Rank.

It wasn't that Li Qi was overconfident, but as a direct descendant of Shaman God Mountain, dealing with ordinary Ninth-Rank cultivators would probably only take one hand.

"Hahaha! To still be thinking about such things at a time like this, you're quite bold! This Young Master likes it. Just for that reaction, you're rewarded!" The Young Master suddenly spoke, then burst into laughter, tossing a treasure pearl to Li Qi.

"It contains ten wisps of pure fire Qi; take it and buy yourself a set of clothes!" he said condescendingly.

As for Li Qi, he reached out and took the treasure pearl.

It wasn't that he wanted to accept a handout; rather, it was his first time seeing this kind of 'Qi' that could be used as currency, and he was very curious about what it was, so he took it to examine.

The moment he took the pearl, he felt it.

Pure. Besides purity, there was no other sensation.

It was as if dozens of wisps of naturally existing fire Qi had been refined into a single strand, almost without Impurities and without any personal characteristics. It was truly pure fire Qi, an excellent material for anyone who needed fire Qi.

It didn't need to be refined at all; it could be used directly, and it would even be very effective as a simple bomb.

Moreover, its production should be troublesome. Li Qi pondered for a moment; if he were to condense such pure fire Qi, one wisp would require at least three or four days of slow refining.

Just these ten wisps would require him to do nothing for a month, condensing fire Qi every day and slowly refining it.

Easy to carry, easy to divide, universally valuable, with a certain production threshold, and a large consumption rate—no wonder it could become currency.

However… this would mean everyone had the ability to print money. He wondered how this market economy was regulated. Without official credit endorsement, the value of this Qi should fluctuate greatly, right?

Or… was the regulation of Qi actually endorsed by someone?

The Qi output of the Earth Oil Realm depended on the strength of the local Heavenly Dao. So, if understood this way… in reality, these Qi, which seem to be condensed by cultivators themselves, are essentially dependent on the Heavenly Dao's output? What cultivators do is merely further process the raw materials.

Li Qi had an absurd thought. He looked up at the sky.

The Heavenly Dao of this world, regulating the economy?

It sounded like a long thought process, but in reality, these thoughts only cycled through his mind for less than half a second.

"No reward without merit; Young Master, please take it back," Li Qi cupped his hands, preparing to throw the pearl back.

But the Young Master spoke to stop him: "Eh, you pleased this Young Master, so that is merit. Even entertainers and servants receive rewards, so why shouldn't you?"

Li Qi frowned upon hearing this but still threw the pearl back.

He was indeed short on money, but he definitely wouldn't take this money.

The Dao of Uprightness does not rejoice in ill-gotten gains.

The Dao of Righteousness does not allow self-abasement.

To obtain ill-gotten gains by debasing oneself was something Li Qi would not do.

But the other party did not pick it up, allowing the valuable treasure pearl to fall to the ground.

At this moment, everyone around had dispersed; some who wanted to watch the excitement had run far away, lest they fail to see the show and get caught in the aftermath, ending up covered in dust.

Everyone could see that someone here was unhappy and a fight was likely to break out.

The Young Master chuckled lightly: "You seem to look down on me? You're just a mere savage, and you're unhappy when I call you an entertainer or servant? Hmm, but it seems you're not an ordinary savage. The first time you encounter Qi, what you think about are fantasies regarding the Heavenly Dao's economy. Though your body is a tiny ant, your ambition is not small."

Li Qi frowned upon hearing this.

Why did it seem like the other party could read his shallow thoughts?

Before, he thought he was just good at reading expressions, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

He probably couldn't read memories, but how was he observing?

Li Qi thought to himself.

"No need to guess. How could a savage like you understand this Young Master's methods? Looking at you, you probably just came out of the countryside, right?" The Young Master said with a smile.

Piao Xu, however, after observing the situation, gritted her teeth and stepped forward: "Young Master…"

"Scram," the Young Master waved his fan.

The disdain in his eyes was almost palpable; even Li Qi could understand its meaning. His eyes said, 'How dare a lowly creature like you speak to me?'

However, with just that one sentence, Piao Xu trembled all over and involuntarily knelt down, daring not to speak further. She even revealed her tail and ears, her entire being transforming towards that of a beast.

With just one glance, she was actually forced back to her original form!

Just then, Li Qi took a few steps forward, blocking Piao Xu.

Immediately after, he adjusted his Qi and blood, and agitated his heart.

Then, Li Qi said: "Combined with the flute music just now, it's a Dao Resonance of the five tones, isn't it?"

At these words, the Young Master's eyes suddenly became serious. He snapped open his folding fan and held it in front of his face: "You savage know quite a lot. You even understand the existence of a Dao Resonance. What is your background?"

"Music is the voice of the heart. From your appearance, I see that you cultivate a five-tone cultivation method, combined with a wisp of a Dao Resonance, allowing you to listen to people's inner thoughts, and even cause invisible attacks with sound, right?" Li Qi said, standing in front of Piao Xu.

Then, Li Qi continued: "No background, just passing by. Oh, and now? I use my heart as a drumhead, my Qi and blood as drumsticks, to vibrate and disturb the Qi, beating it to move. Can you still hear my inner thoughts?"

After speaking, Li Qi looked at the other party, while also getting ready with his hands.

Yes, the other party, like Li Qi and Bo Yue, also possessed a wisp of a Dao Resonance.

Bo Yue's Dao Resonance was a demonic seed, while Li Qi's was his familiar progress bar. This person's Dao Resonance, presumably, was to listen to inner thoughts.

It's just… Li Qi instinctively felt that the other party's Dao Resonance was much inferior to his and Bo Yue's.

It seemed to be a natural sensation.

Is this the feeling of Innate Dao Resonance holders? Does the other party have the same feeling?

No, the other party shouldn't, otherwise he wouldn't be so arrogant and presumptuous.

Hearing Li Qi's words, the Young Master's ears twitched.

Then, he changed his previous frivolous demeanor, cupped his hands and said: "You savage… no, you must have a master. You, indeed, have some ability. I underestimated you before. You truly are someone who can withstand Si Lao's curse-killing. Not bad, not bad. I just don't know why you, my friend, intervened to stop me?"

"Nothing, just helping out when I saw injustice. But Young Master, why do you want this person's life? What great enmity is there?" Li Qi asked the Young Master.

As they were speaking.

Just then, three enforcers in uniform black robes with armbands descended from the sky: "Gentlemen, this is a marketplace, a place where people gather. Please do not clash here. If there is a clash…"

However, the Young Master impatiently waved his fan and uttered two words: "Yan Jun."

Then, suddenly, a flash of fire!

A colossal humanoid creature, entirely composed of various colored flames, suddenly stood up, like a faceless fire giant!

The extreme of fire! Heatwaves swept through the surrounding area, forming small sand whirlwinds. With a provocative roar, rolling heatwaves advanced, high temperatures pressing closer step by step, like the karmic fires of Hell, directly rushing towards the three enforcers!

In the raging fire, all matter was burned to ashes and red liquid. The high temperature caused all matter to directly collapse, melting into one, colliding and intertwining violently.

In the path of the faceless fire giant, everything was annihilated.

Annihilation without any reason!

The three enforcers, along with a quarter of the market, were all incinerated, turning into a wisp of smoke.

A quarter of the market, that was nearly ten li in circumference!

Scorching liquid churned like mud on the ground, forming a huge lava lake. Blazing hot air swirled around the lava lake, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur and ashes.

Li Qi's pupils contracted. He immediately gathered his Qi, preparing to retreat.

Eighth-Rank! This destructive power was definitely Eighth-Rank!

The surrounding market was already filled with countless people's wails. The being named Yan Jun controlled his power, avoiding people. Although some were injured, no one died except for the three enforcers.

"The injured, and those whose goods were damaged, will be compensated tomorrow. The business lost today will also have corresponding compensation. Now, all of you, scram! In this market, I don't want to see anyone other than us!" The Young Master raised his voice and said so.

The presence of an Eighth-Rank master had already scared the wits out of everyone else nearby. Countless people fled using various means, and for a moment, various streaks of light flashed by, and soon the entire market was empty.

"Alright, now it's just us. Shall we find a place to sit? To know and recognize the existence of a Dao Resonance, my friend, may I ask your esteemed name?" The Young Master changed his expression, smiling as he spoke to Li Qi.

Li Qi frowned, naturally knowing that the other party burning down the market, as well as the previous compensation, shouting, and driving people away, were all done for his benefit.

This person… to say he was arrogant, naive, and haughty was true.

But he was also truly not simple.

At this moment, Shen Shuibi suddenly walked to Li Qi's side and said to him: "I can handle the one in the sky."

As she spoke, she pointed at the fire giant referred to as 'Yan Jun'.

Because she didn't lower her voice, everyone present heard her.

"A mere Ninth-Rank, not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth," the fire giant Yan Jun snorted coldly, reaching out a hand, preparing to teach her a lesson.

However, Shen Shuibi also extended her hand.

A delicate, slender finger, lightly tapped.

Lunar Qi surged out, and the fire Qi in the air was directly reflected back!

As it reflected, a full moon opened up.

"The moon is formed by reflecting the sun; the bright moon serves as a mirror." Shen Shuibi moved her ten fingers, forming a clear moon.

If the fire giant was like a blazing sun, then Shen Shuibi created a moon with her own Lunar Pure Qi.

Both light and heat were reflected away.

However, even so, the moon still had to bear a portion of the light and heat.

That illusory moon began to tremble after just one second.

"Good technique, but too weak," Yan Jun's deep voice rumbled, and then he increased his output.

Even the best technique needed power to support it. If this bright moon had equal power, Yan Jun admitted he couldn't Breakthrough; her technique indeed had unique aspects.

But the gap between Ninth-Rank and Eighth-Rank, was it not a hundredfold?

Four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds also had its limits. With such weak power, such a fragile body that would shatter upon contact, what could stop him? Could it be love?

As Yan Jun increased his power, the surrounding flames grew even more immense, even threatening to blot out the sky and sun.

Li Qi grabbed the now-transformed Piao Xu with one hand and retreated.

Even the Young Master and the maidservant on the other side began to retreat.

When an Eighth-Rank powerhouse made a move, the aftermath was simply unbearable for Ninth-Rank cultivators.

Although Shen Shuibi was also Ninth-Rank at this moment, Li Qi knew her true foundation, so he wasn't worried at all.

After the Young Master retreated, Yan Jun's body steamed with fire Qi, and ominous clouds covered the sky! All around were incredibly dense, boundless flames, wave after wave, mercilessly striking the moon that Shen Shuibi had conjured.

That clear, bright moon was quickly shattered.

Yan Jun's hand immediately slammed down. Under the fire giant's massive body, it was like swatting a mosquito.

However, at this moment.

Hidden within the bright moon was the small Pill Furnace that Shen Shuibi had used earlier to refine outer elixirs and snacks.

Yan Jun, without deviation, happened to hit the Pill Furnace.

Shen Shuibi formed a hand seal, and the Pill Furnace suddenly emitted a powerful suction force!

"Hm?!" Yan Jun exclaimed in surprise, wanting to withdraw his hand!

However, the Pill Furnace's suction was incredibly strong. The fire giant's body was entirely composed of raging fire Qi, making it impossible to break free!

Yan Jun immediately cast a spell, and the 'Mortal World Smoke and Fire' reappeared.

Mortal World Smoke and Fire, ethereal and elusive, could virtualize the body, making it an excellent method for breaking free from restraints.

However, Shen Shuibi formed another hand seal, and another bright moon rose into the sky.

The moon shed its clear light, illuminating the mortal world for thousands of years.

The Mortal World Smoke and Fire was ethereal, yet beneath the bright moon, it became crystal clear, easy to see through.

Having lost two moves in a row, Yan Jun had no further recourse. His entire body was sucked into the Pill Furnace, his left hand completely pulled inside!