C10 Do You Want Me to Leave?

Yang Huang immediately recognized that the trio before him were cultivators, yet not one had achieved the Essence Refining Qi Transforming state. In the Dao Realm, the initial stage isn't Essence Refining Qi Transforming, but rather Qi Condensation. One must reach the tenth level of Qi Condensation to break through the barrier and gather Genuine Qi within the dantian.

The tallest among them was Ao Yuan, who appeared to be at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Condensation, while the other two were fluctuating around the fifth level. These individuals were Sword Cultivators from Shu Mountain, with Ao Yuan being the tallest youth, and the other two, Ao Feng and Ao Yu, were twin brothers.

"Alright, I'm heading out now," Yang Huang said, foregoing any debate. With a simple nod, he proceeded towards the exit. He was aware that the room's owner was a cultivator at the Essence Refining Qi Transforming level. Furthermore, his observations led him to believe that Chen Min had already amassed sufficient Genuine Qi to reach Great Perfection and was merely an opportunity away from advancing to Qi Refining Deification.

At this early stage of Earth's transformation, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Deification level was considered a formidable force.

"Hey! Are you deaf? I didn't tell you to walk out; I told you to get out," Ao Yuan said, unapologetically grabbing Yang Huang's chest as he attempted to leave.

"Release him!"

Chen Min emerged from the bedroom, clad in a light blue lace-trimmed dress, her long hair cascading down, exuding a youthful aura.

"Oh? So you're the owner of this place. Well, you're not much to look at, but you do have a nice figure—tall, with a full chest," Ao Yuan remarked, not releasing Yang Huang. He appraised Chen Min, stroking his chin with his other hand.

Despite sensing the subtle Genuine Qi emanating from her, he remained unconcerned. Chen Min seemed quite young, roughly his age. He was confident in his superiority, convinced that no one of his generation could surpass his level of cultivation.

"Hey there, sweetheart, with your ample chest and shapely behind, you've certainly caught my eye. Too bad your looks are just average, but your skin is exceptionally fair and smooth. Here's the deal: strip down and dance for us. If you entertain me enough, I'll let this loser go. What do you say?" Ao Yuan leered at Chen Min's chest for an uncomfortably long time before he could tear his gaze away.

"You're asking for trouble!"

Chen Min's brow furrowed, and she summoned a whirlwind around her, causing her skirt to lift slightly and reveal glimpses of her pale thighs.

Her hair whipped about in the wind as she recited an odd chant. In front of her, a golden pattern emerged, reminiscent of both the trigrams and the yin-yang symbol.

Boom!

In an instant, the golden pattern that had been before Chen Min appeared before Ao Yuan and his companions. Before they could react, the pattern exploded into brilliant golden beams.

Ao Yuan and his cohorts didn't even get the chance to draw their flying swords before they were hurled out of Chen Min's home.

Though unharmed, they landed in a disgraceful heap.

"Damn it!" Ao Yuan was the first to scramble to his feet, only to realize he was outside the door. Seething, he charged back towards Chen Min's house.

But this time, he couldn't even get close. A translucent golden gate had materialized a meter from Chen Min's doorstep, barring his entry. No matter how furiously he attacked with his sword qi, the golden gate remained unyielding.

It was then that he understood Chen Village was no ordinary place. It was inhabited by beings far beyond his ability to confront—monsters, one and all.

"I refuse to believe it! How can this girl, not even twenty, be stronger than me? Why? She's just a poor country girl. No! It can't be her true power. Her cultivation level can't be higher than mine; it must be some magical artifact at work. Yes, that must be it!" Ao Yuan's face twisted in rage as he channeled the scant energy within his dantian, relentlessly bombarding the golden gate, unwilling to concede defeat.

Ao Yuan's dantian was utterly depleted, his forehead veins throbbing with rage. He vowed that before leaving Chen Village, he would reduce Yang Huang to shreds and have his master seize Chen Min, subjecting her to his whims daily.

Yang Huang was well aware of Chen Min's capabilities, yet it was his first time witnessing her in action. The pattern she conjured before her suggested she practiced Dao Arts associated with Magic Arrays.

While the golden pattern was a mystery to Ao Yuan, Yang Huang recognized it as an Array Pattern.

Array Dao is divided into two types: external arrays and refined body arrays. Array Masters typically inscribe Array Patterns into their bodies or souls, enabling them to wield them effortlessly in combat to inflict damage.

External arrays, on the other hand, require time to set up using objects or terrain. Cultivators who specialize in this are known as Feng Shui Masters.

Array Dao, much like Talisman Arts, is filled with wondrous secrets.

Through their days together, Yang Huang and Chen Min had grown to understand each other. Yang Huang found that Chen Min had a fiery temper and a strong sense of justice, which explained her immediate intervention.

Eventually, Ao Yuan and his companions departed, seemingly to trouble other villagers.

As time progressed, several outsiders had entered Chen Village over the course of three days. Two young men had visited Chen Min's home, both of whom she had promptly sent packing.

During this time, Yang Huang dedicated himself daily to absorbing Heaven Earth Spiritual Energy to replenish his Brain Sea Courtyard. He also crafted talismans and delved into the Void Step Array Dao Talisman Divination Record when time permitted.

The practice of the Grand Upper Essence Returning Divine One Qi was unique. Unlike the gradual cultivation of ordinary cultivators, Innate Genuine Qi swiftly transformed into Innate Qi upon entering the body. Once concentrated in the Brain Sea Courtyard, it instantly solidified into Innate Genuine Qi.

This Innate Genuine Qi was exceptionally pure, far surpassing the quality of Acquired Genuine Qi.

For now, Yang Huang's cultivation was advancing rapidly. However, once he refined his Divine Sense, the Grand Upper Essence Returning Divine One Qi would truly unveil its formidable nature.

Over the past few days, Chen Min had been diligently practicing her cultivation, but she also ventured into the forest behind the village and hunted down a mutated goat. The creature had grown to a massive four meters since its mutation, providing enough meat to sustain her and Yang Huang for several days.

Yang Huang, too, had been productive; just yesterday, he managed to capture a three-meter-long wild boar alive.

Chen Min was aware of Yang Huang's exceptional talent in concocting medicines. Despite his frail physique, he was resourceful and skilled. Yet, she remained unaware of his true identity as a cultivator.

Loud quarrels and the subsequent sounds of energy blasts resonated from outside their door. Neither Yang Huang nor Chen Min paid them any mind. Such disturbances had become all too common since Evolvers began flocking to Chen Village, where skirmishes were a frequent occurrence. These Evolvers saw themselves as the rulers of this altered world, looking down upon everything with a sense of superiority that led to their overbearing behavior.

"Yang Huang, once the Strange Treasure emerges, do you plan to leave Chen Village?" Chen Min posed the question to Yang Huang, who was seated across from her, as she busied herself with boiling mutton in a large pot.

Chen Min was like a blank slate, her innocence untarnished. She had never cohabited with boys her age until now. Surprisingly, she found Yang Huang's company not only tolerable but quite pleasant. Being at the tender age where emotions begin to blossom, it was hard for her not to feel a certain fondness.

"Do you wish for me to go?" Instead of answering, Yang Huang countered with his own question.

"You've dodged my question again. Hmph," Chen Min retorted with a pout, feigning annoyance.

A subtle flirtation had developed between them, a rarity in the anxious world that had emerged following Earth's mutation.

In a world no longer conducive to romance, Yang Huang observed the girl focused intently on her cooking. Finding someone as genuine as Chen Min had become a rarity in these tumultuous times.