Translated by: pokka

  Editor: Reckeva

  “Next, I will try to create a resonance between my magic core and this Saint Rank magic core. If the process is interrupted, the only thing that will happen to me is the destruction of my body and soul. During the final stage of the process, an energy undulation will appear and spread outward, attracting some magical beasts. I will need you to buy me more time when that happens,” Hu Xian’er said, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

  Bai Xiaofei was thoroughly stupefied when he heard her words.

  Destruction in body……and soul?

  “How can you—”


  Hu Xian’er interrupted Bai Xiaofei before he could finish his sentence. She said, “If you want to stop me, it is already too late. By forcing my magic core out before reaching the Grandmaster Rank, I will not be able to retrieve my magic core without first advancing to the next rank. Therefore, we are left with no other options. My only choice is to continue forging ahead.”


  Then, a wide smile formed on her face as she continued speaking. “If I fail, take the two magic cores. They will stay by your side in my place. But if I succeed, I will tell you everything about me and why I made this choice.”


  Bai Xiaofei stood still, completely stunned. Apart from self-blame, he was not feeling any other emotion. If he had known that the process would be this dangerous or if he had asked her for the truth earlier, Bai Xiaofei would have rather died than let Hu Xian’er take such a risk. But now, Hu Xian’er was right. They had no other choice.

  “Even if a Saint Rank magical beast comes, it will have to step over my dead body to reach you,” Bai Xiaofei declared, his eyes bloodshot. He had never been so serious before.

  “Don’t worry. There won’t be any Saint Rank beasts coming,” Hu Xian’er said with a smile on her face before shifting her attention to the two magic cores.

  “I’m starting now.”


  Immediately after saying that, Hu Xian’er’s magic core started trembling at a constant tempo, and her face started twisting. Intense pain. This was the first hurdle she had to overcome. Under Bai Xiaofei’s gaze, as the purple magic core trembled, the Saint Rank magic core also started trembling as well. The tempo increased steadily, slowly approaching the same tempo of the purple magic core.

  This was a long process. Gazing at Hu Xian’er, who was in intense pain, Bai Xiaofei’s eyes grew misty. For him, the worst suffering in this world was to watch his loved ones suffer without being able to do anything about it.

  Fortunately, when the Saint Rank magic core reached the same tempo as the purple magic core, cracks started appearing on the crystal that Zhuang Ming had claimed to be indestructible. Without a doubt, Hu Xian’er had reached the crucial point of the process.

  Bit by bit, time passed. The number of cracks on the Saint Rank magic core increased, and when the cracks spread all over the magic core, a crisp crack rang out. The Saint Rank magic core transformed into powder. At the same time, an incredibly powerful shockwave undulated, destroying all the vegetation in their surroundings.

  Caught by surprise, Bai Xiaofei was sent flying. After spinning several rounds on the ground, he stopped. And without bothering to check his own wounds, he crawled back up on his feet and rushed toward Hu Xian’er’s side.

  At this point, Hu Xian’er had obtained complete control over the berserk energy. A multicolored and shapeless liquid hovered in the air surrounding Hu Xian’er’s magic core. But because she had forcefully resisted the shockwave from the undulation earlier, she coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Numerous cuts could be seen on her pale skin.

  Even her bones and internal organs were not left unharmed. Every single part of her body had been damaged. One of her knees collapsed onto the ground while her consciousness started growing blurry. When Bai Xiaofei saw all this, he rushed over to her. And with no hesitation, he took out the bottle containing the Goddess of Life's Favor before pouring the liquid down her throat.

  Bai Xiaofei witnessed with his own eyes how crazily powerful a consumable worth 500 billion could be. Hu Xian’er was at her dying breath, yet in less than half a second, she was as good as new. Her injuries were all healed, and even her skin looked sparkling and translucent.

  “You will succeed!”


  Bai Xiaofei looked at Hu Xian’er with a resolute gaze then retreated. Hu Xian’er could not split her attention and respond to him. Instead, she once again placed all her focus on controlling the clump of energy before her. For some reason, Hu Xian’er did not look to be in any pain during the second stage. Perhaps it was because there was still some leftover medicinal effect from the Goddess of Life's Favor, or perhaps it was because the second stage was simply easier. Slowly, the multicolored energy fused into Hu Xian’er’s purple magic core.

  The second stage took much longer than the first stage, but Bai Xiaofei was no longer standing there waiting and doing nothing. He was unsure of how far the undulation had reached when the magic core had cracked, but he could clearly hear the various roars within the forest. In other words, magical beasts would appear at any moment. Any magical beast that did not fear the undulation would be no pushover.

  “Blackie, I will be relying on you,” Bai Xiaofei said as he channeled his origin energy into Blackie, forming an illusion of a large boulder right where Hu Xian’er was. And to fool the eyes of others, he also transformed their surroundings into an earth-colored ruin with Hu Xian’er located at a certain unremarkable corner within the ruin.

  After doing all that, Bai Xiaofei did not bother hiding himself. He stood outside the ruin, trying his best to buy as much time as possible. As per his own words, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Hu Xian’er’s safety.

  With the huge pressure, beads of sweat started forming on Bai Xiaofei’s forehead. Presently, their surroundings were still rather peaceful, but he was clear that this was simply the calm before the storm. Although he did not know what Hu Xian’er was hiding from him, he had a feeling that the scope of her secret might be much larger than he had imagined.