C10 Explosive Beast Tide

Hwang Ningxue wore a look of deep skepticism as she gazed intently at Qiao Gao, sensing that there was more to this young man than met the eye. Just who was he, really?

Her mind buzzed with questions.

After a brief moment of doubt, Hwang Ningxue inhaled sharply, her gaze once again locking onto Qiao Gao. With a grave tone, she inquired, "You're telling me that a Rank Five Demonic Beast, a Three-eye Ice Toad, is sealed within me?"

Ever since her birth, she had been plagued with a grave illness. Her clan's patriarch had even summoned a renowned Grade Five Pill Refining Master to treat her, to no avail. The expertise of a Grade Five Pill Refining Master was exceedingly rare; such masters were few and far between in the entirety of North Star Country. In Great Flame City, the most skilled was merely a Grade Two Pill Refining Master. Advancing in the art of pill refining was a grueling journey; each step up the ladder required an astronomical investment of energy, manpower, and wealth.

In particular, a Grade Five Pill Refining Master, having mastered at least one type of Pill Fire, could enhance the efficacy of treatments by a hundredfold, even a thousandfold, compared to those without such mastery. But the art of refining Pill Fire was fraught with difficulty. Beyond its scarcity, Pill Fire was found only in the most treacherous of lands, where the slightest misstep could lead to a fiery demise, obliterating both body and soul.

With her condition beyond the help of even a Grade Five Pill Refining Master who had harnessed Pill Fire, Hwang Ningxue's family had abandoned all hope. She had left her homeland to fend for herself.

Yet, the Grade Five Pill Refining Master hadn't extinguished all hope for Hwang Ningxue. Upon his departure, he had suggested that what was beyond the reach of a Pill Refining Master might be within the purview of a Soul Master.

Soul Masters were an even rarer and more esteemed breed than Pill Refining Masters. Scarcer still, the entire North Star Country might not boast a single Soul Master. Although Hwang Ningxue's family wielded some clout on the continent, far surpassing the influence of a backwater like North Star Country, they were not so powerful as to easily procure the services of a Soul Master for her cure.

Emerging from a secretive family at the heart of the continent, Hwang Ningxue had journeyed toward the Devil Dragon Mining Area, a distant and secluded location. She had long abandoned any hope of encountering a Soul Master.

"Is it possible that he's a Soul Master?"

Hwang Ningxue's heart raced, her eyes sparkling with renewed hope as she silently pondered.

"Yes, the seal has begun to crack, and the escaping chill is lethal!" Qiao Gao spoke earnestly, "But I've reinforced the seal for you. It will hold for three years before it collapses."

"For the next three years, you'll be safe. Beyond that, it's uncertain. We should aim for a permanent fix, considering it's like a ticking time bomb," Qiao Gao explained.

Upon hearing this, a look of astonishment spread across Hwang Ningxue's impeccable face. Her delicate, translucent lips parted in awe, barely able to contain her disbelief, "I'll be safe for three years?"

The Rank Five Pill Refining Master her family had generously compensated had assured them she wouldn't see her 20th birthday—and she was just a month shy of 19!

And now, Qiao Gao was confidently assuring her of three years free from mortal peril. At the end of that period, she'd be 22. Could he truly be a Soul Master?

"Absolutely. When I intervene, rest assured there will be no errors."

Qiao Gao had assimilated the memories of the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch, who was not only a master of pill refining but also of soul refining. How else could he have dominated the Nine-heavens and Ten-earths?

The seal within Hwang Ningxue was tricky, but not insurmountable. Admittedly, with Qiao Gao's current capabilities, it posed a challenge. However, with the anticipated growth of his powers, dismantling this time bomb would be no issue at all.

Qiao Gao harbored no doubts about that.

"Get dressed, and when you return, gather 100,000 yuan crystals and a bottle of Nine Transformations Human Emperor Paste. As a favor to a fellow classmate, I'll take care of this problem for you." Qiao Gao let out a sly chuckle, his eyes once again admiring Hwang Ningxue's smooth, jade-like figure.

"What? You can actually solve this for me?" Hwang Ningxue's lovely face registered shock, a mix of disbelief and contemplation. She couldn't quite figure out Qiao Gao, who had been proving her wrong at every turn, this unassuming country bumpkin.

For the average Vein Connecting Stage warrior, 100,000 yuan crystals were a staggering sum. And the Nine Transformations Human Emperor Paste? That posed a real challenge. It was, after all, a Grade Three Medicine Pill and quite the rarity in the out-of-the-way Great Flame City.

But when it came to Hwang Ningxue's life, these concerns paled in comparison. If it meant survival, her family wouldn't bat an eye at shelling out even a million yuan crystals, let alone a hundred thousand.

Such was the depth of resources of the central continent's great hidden families, a depth the smaller border clans of Great Flame City couldn't hope to match. That was precisely why Bai Jutian was so resolute in his pursuit of Hwang Ningxue.

Marrying her would save him decades of toil...

Hwang Ningxue shot Qiao Gao a furious glare, yet her beautiful eyes betrayed little intent to kill, instead flickering with annoyance.

Once she had changed, Hwang Ningxue passed the remaining half of the Blood Soul Flower to Qiao Gao. Despite his lecherous gaze, he might just be her ticket to survival.

Without any fuss, Qiao Gao devoured the half of the Blood Soul Flower. His once parched soul force was swiftly rejuvenated, his eyes now vivid and alert, a stark contrast to his previously drained state.

"Bam!"

"Bam!"

The sound of doors being smashed open echoed as blistering Origin Energy rolled in. The resting room's door in the Devil Dragon Mining Area was utterly obliterated, sending splinters flying like deadly missiles.

Qiao Gao swiftly ducked, hiding behind Hwang Ningxue without a shred of dignity.

Annoyed, Hwang Ningxue shot him a look but quickly regained her icy, haughty demeanor. Her delicate hand shot out like lightning, her frigid Origin Energy unfurling like a divine ice-and-fire phoenix, sweeping through the air. The splinters, sharp as swords, disintegrated into dust in its wake.

The frigid Origin Energy didn't cease its onslaught, sweeping toward the two figures who had burst in with the force of a mighty army!

"Humph!"

The figures stumbled as though struck by a heavy blow, emitting a muffled groan.

"Ningxue, it's me!"

As the dust settled, Bai Jutian called out urgently, gasping for air. Clearly, he was the one who had just groaned from the impact.

Bai Jutian was both startled and furious. Hwang Ningxue had instructed him to stand guard outside, and after a long absence, he heard a strange cry. That sound instinctively made him believe that Hwang Ningxue must have been taken advantage of by Qiao Gao.

He was smitten with Hwang Ningxue from the moment he saw her, idolizing her as his goddess, determined to marry no one but her. The thought of his future wife being preyed upon by a scoundrel was unbearable.

In a frenzy, without pausing to think and with the outer court deacon present, he blasted the mining room's door open and barged in.

Bai Jutian and the outer court deacon, Ma De, entered.

"Ridiculous!"

"How could you so easily trust this boy to cure the poison?" The man standing beside Bai Jutian was middle-aged, with keen eagle eyes and controlled Origin Energy, having already reached the Soul Connecting Stage. Yet his complexion was ashen, clearly indicating he had sustained a severe injury.

How could these prospective students, still in the outer court assessment and merely at the One-vein Connection, possibly cure the Corpse King Poison?

The very idea was laughable, utterly illogical.

"Hmm? Changed clothes?" Bai Jutian gave Hwang Ningxue a quick look, his heart skipping a beat.

Hwang Ningxue's cheeks were tinged with red as she donned a fresh set of clothes. Facing Ma De, her gaze was awkward. Then, she turned to see Qiao Gao, his face deathly pale as if he had been drained of all strength...

What exactly were they up to in there?

Upon witnessing the scene, Bai Jutian's expression darkened further, his gaze piercing Qiao Gao with such intensity it was as if he intended to dissect him on the spot.

"Ma De, you've arrived," Hwang Ningxue murmured, stealing a covert glance at Qiao Gao, who was concealed behind her. A flush crept over her cheeks as she spoke.

Ma De, an instructor from the inner courtyard and a formidable practitioner in the late period of the Soul Connecting Stage, seemed to be in rough shape; even his Battle Soul had sustained serious damage.

"Prepare yourselves, I'm going to take you both out of here immediately. A horrific beast tide has erupted in the Devil Dragon Mining Area. If we don't leave now, no one will make it out alive!" Ma De declared with grave urgency, the recent memory of the small-scale beast tide still sending shivers down his spine. He knew just how close he had come to being trapped in the Devil Dragon Mining Area forever.