Fairy, don't let your golden finger chase after me!

Chapter 36: Dong Mokaka! Loyal Orange! Broken Bowl!

After bidding farewell to Gu Ziyue, Dong Mo walked out of the palace and was greeted by his maid Xiao Bai, who was pacing anxiously outside the palace gate.

"Oh dear! Young Master has been inside for so long, why hasn't he come out yet...?"

As Xiao Bai muttered to himself, he gripped the hem of his clothes so tightly that his slender knuckles turned white.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Xiao Bai suddenly turned around and looked behind him.

Upon seeing Dong Mo appear at the door, Xiao Bai's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to greet him.

"Ah...Young Master! You're out!"

Xiao Bai looked Dong Mo up and down, and only after confirming that Dong Mo was not seriously injured did he breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Have you finished taking care of everything you needed to do?"

"Okay, it's done."

"And... what about Miss Ziyue?"

Xiao Bai glanced behind him but didn't see the purple figure.

Dong Mo looked back at the palace behind him with a strange expression, scratched his head and said, "She said she's going to pay respects to her ancestors, so she'll be staying inside a little longer."

"Huh? Ancestor worship?" Xiao Bai tilted his head and looked at Dong Mo.

"Yeah, it's an ancestral worship ceremony. I don't really understand the rules of the demon race. Anyway, she told us to go first." Dong Mo shrugged.

Xiao Bai hesitated before nodding: "Then...shall we leave now?"

"It wouldn't be right to just leave without saying goodbye, would it? Besides, she's still our ally. And I just got a lot of good stuff in the secret realm."

"It's not too late to digest it here before leaving."

"Xiao Bai, I'm preparing to go into seclusion to refine the pills I just obtained from the Sword Saint Trial. I'd like to trouble you to protect me during this time."

"Yes, young master." Xiao Bai nodded readily.

Then Dong Mo prepared to take out the Saint-grade Heaven-Mending Pill he had just obtained from the secret realm from his storage bag.

But then, he seemed to suddenly realize something.

He took out the bronze puppet he had obtained earlier and casually tossed it to Xiao Bai.

"Xiao Bai, this is a bronze puppet of sword intent that I just obtained from the Sword Saint's legacy. It is said that after observing it, one can comprehend the exquisite sword moves created by the Sword Saint."

"Take it and observe it carefully, and see if you can gain anything from it."

Xiao Bai hurriedly caught the bronze puppet, looking down at the bronze statue in her hand that exuded the essence of swords. As a Golden Core sword cultivator, she immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the sword-inspired bronze puppet in front of her.

And yet, the young master had so casually handed over such a precious treasure to her. She looked up at Dong Mo, a warm feeling welling up inside her, her loyalty to him overflowing!

She then secretly vowed that no matter what kind of powerful enemy Dong Mo asked her to face, even if Dong Mo asked her to deal with the Dong family patriarch, she would decisively draw her Purple Nether Sword and strike six hundred times per second without hesitation!

Dong Mokaka! Zhong Cheng!

Just as Xiao Bai was secretly swearing allegiance to Dong Mo deep in his heart, a system pop-up window suddenly appeared in front of Dong Mo's eyes.

Seeing how loyal and righteous you are, and how much you value me, Xiao Bai is deeply moved.

[The Tranquil Sword Technique's favorability has been greatly increased.]

Current progress: 44%

Current Affection Level: Attachment

Dong Mo stared at the pop-up window in front of him, his expression momentarily frozen.

Ah... this can increase favorability? Looks like I'll have to be nicer to Xiao Bai from now on!

"Hmm? Young Master? Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Seeing that Dong Mo was staring at her, Xiao Bai looked at Dong Mo with a face full of curiosity.

"Oh, that's all."

Dong Mo snapped out of his daze and quickly looked away.

"I need to refine the pills I just got and find a quiet place to cultivate in seclusion for a while. You can protect me while I'm at it, and then I can also study that bronze puppet properly."

Xiao Bai, holding the bronze puppet, nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, young master."

Dong Mo found a quiet corner in the corridor in front of the palace, sat down cross-legged, took out the sacred Heaven-Mending Pill from his storage bag, opened the bottle cap and poured it into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering Dong Mo's mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed into his abdomen.

At first, Dong Mo didn't feel anything, but soon he felt a muffled boom suddenly erupt from his body, like a muffled thunder rolling across the sky.

Dong Mo's body surface quickly turned red, and beads of sweat poured out of his pores like a burst dam. Each drop of sweat contained tiny black particles and emitted a foul, fishy smell.

"Hiss... Is this what they call 'cleansing the marrow and removing impurities'? This feeling is like being run over by a massive amount of energy..."

Dong Mo gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound, and the veins on his forehead bulged with pain.

Just as Dong Mo's consciousness was about to be swallowed up by the excruciating pain emanating from his body, the system's notification sound suddenly rang in Dong Mo's ears again.

[Devouring Heaven's True Blood: Mom! Mom!]

[The Devouring Heaven True Blood says, "Mom, I'm here to help you!"]

[The Devouring Heaven True Blood has digested the medicinal power for you, eliminating all the domineering medicinal properties and side effects from the pill, and returning the purest portion of the medicinal power to you.]

Just as the system dialog pop-up lit up, Dong Mo suddenly felt a clear stream surge from his dantian, washing over his entire body's meridians like a sweet spring.

The excruciating pain subsided quickly, replaced by an indescribable feeling of comfort.

Dong Mo opened his eyes, and his first impression was—it stank.

He reeked of a nauseating, pungent stench, and his entire body was covered in black sludge.

Ignoring his disdain, Dong Mo immediately activated his Double Pupil Divine Power to examine his internal meridians. Upon seeing this, Dong Mo's eyes instantly lit up with ecstatic joy.

The deficient essence within oneself was replenished perfectly.

At the same time, his meridians and dantian were expanded by nearly double by the sacred Heaven-Mending Pill, and the quality of his Dao foundation, which he had built during the Foundation Establishment stage, jumped from the previous upper-middle quality to the top-tier, superior quality.

Even the weakness he felt after activating Berserk Blood had completely disappeared.

At this moment, Dong Mo felt that he was terrifyingly strong.

If it weren't for the invisible rule of Heming Mountain pressing down on him, he felt that he might have been able to break through to the Golden Core realm on the spot.

All I can say is that this Saint-grade Heaven-Mending Pill truly lives up to its reputation as a Saint-grade pill that even a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator like the Dong family patriarch would dream of. Its effects are indeed domineering!

Then Dong Mo took out two warm water talismans from his storage bag and slapped them on his body to wash away the black mud and bloodstains.

Then he changed into a brand new set of robes, and instantly felt refreshed.

After resolving all of this, he sat back down and took out the "Sword Qi Retention" manual he had previously obtained from his pocket to read it.

Now that the physical condition issue has been resolved, the next step is to seize the time to improve our strength.

After all, from the moment he was born, he was raised by the Dong family patriarch as a backup body!

Dong Mo didn't think that the Dong family patriarch would let him off so easily!

Dong Mo opened the manual and examined it carefully.

The ink on the pages of the manual was ancient and worn, and every energy cultivation route was drawn in great detail. The ancient seal script used for annotations next to it was unrestrained and wild, clearly the handwriting of Xiao Hongchen, the Sword Saint of Asking Snow.

Dong Mo was engrossed in what he was watching when a new notification suddenly popped up on the system panel in front of him.

[Tranquil Sword Technique: Dong Mo, I see that the method of circulating energy in this sword energy retention manual is similar to my own mental cultivation method... I wonder if you could lend it to me so I can study it as well?]

Dong Mo was slightly taken aback, then readily replied via telepathy.

"Since you want to watch, let's watch together."

Dong Mo spread the manual on his lap, and then, as if suddenly inspired by the Tranquil Mind Sword Technique, he began to silently recite the scriptures while practicing the various moves of the sword qi retention manual in front of him according to the Tranquil Mind Sword Technique's mental method.

The two reinforced and inspired each other along the same energy pathway. Gradually, Dong Mo began to feel a warm, gentle sword intent slowly unfolding within his body.

That familiar feeling was like a long-sealed door being quietly pushed open.

[While observing and comprehending the sword energy manifestation technique with you, I gradually became attracted by your charm.]

Looking back on these past few days of getting to know you and spending time with you, and all the experiences we've gone through together, I, Jingxin Jianjue, feel that being with you has been a good choice for me.

After all, you've been so good to Xiao Bai, so helping you is naturally helping Xiao Bai.

[The Tranquil Sword Technique has lowered all its defenses against you, completely releasing the restrictions on its body, and offering itself to you.]

Dong Mo was taken aback when he saw the line of text, and then subconsciously swung the wooden practice sword in his hand.

Then, with a "bang," the wooden practice sword in Dong Mo's hand shattered.

Immediately, a sharp sword aura was unleashed, instantly condensing into a human figure the moment it left his hand. The figure's facial features were indistinct, but its limbs and torso were clearly defined, emanating a sword intent that was identical to Dong Mo's aura.

The sword aura clone stood there, and Dong Mo could clearly sense its presence, as if it were an extension of his own body.

The sword energy has been retained; it's done!

Although the sword energy clone that Dong Mo condensed is currently only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, it is enough to prove that Dong Mo has mastered the essence of this technique.

Immediately afterwards, the system's reward notification suddenly rang in Dong Mo's ears.

[The Tranquil Sword Technique's affinity has increased.]

Current progress: 51%

Current Affection Level: Infatuated

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully raised your affinity with the Tranquil Mind Sword Technique to the level of infatuation!]

[Reward obtained: Double Pupil Divine Power - True Eye of Illusion.]

[The Eye of Truth: Immune to illusions, seeing through all the false appearances of the world.]