Chapter 176 - 173: Because I Like You

"Because I like you. I told you that last time at the Hongyan Building," Lao Liu answered without shying away from the topic.

However, her face showed no signs of liking Mo Qianqian at all. She delivered the confession without blushing or skipping a beat, leaving him completely speechless.

"Who wouldn’t like a genius like you?" Lao Liu added.

"Miss Lao Liu, please stop joking around. I’m a married man," Mo Qianqian said.

"So what if you have a wife? It’s perfectly normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. I don’t care how many wives or concubines you have," Lao Liu countered.

Hearing this, Mo Qianqian was at a loss for words again. This girl always said the most shocking things.

"But jokes aside, considering your immense potential and the fact that you’re a Spirit Master possessing a Spiritual Source, anyone with half a brain would definitely want to befriend you," Lao Liu continued. "Think about it. If you advance to become a Third-Grade Spirit Master one day, wouldn’t you have as many Third-Grade Superior Elixirs as you could ever want?

"Once you provide the elixirs, the overall strength of Black Dragon City will skyrocket!

"Besides, once you fully mature, it will be immensely beneficial to us as well."

"Then I must thank you, Lao Liu, and your esteemed father. I, Mo Qianqian, will carve your kindness into my heart," Mo Qianqian replied.

He didn’t probe any further. Lao Liu’s reasoning made perfect sense. But regardless of their true motives, he had committed their two acts of assistance to memory.

"How is the situation in the Great Xia Dynasty?" Mo Qianqian then asked. That day, he had been whisked away from the scene by Emperor Xia, fleeing without ever learning the outcome of the battle.

"How else could it be? After you left, the crowd practically dispersed," Lao Liu replied. "Then, the forces on the Ling Family’s side started hunting you down everywhere.

"It won’t be long before the news of your arrival in Black Dragon City reaches their ears. They will soon dispatch people to hunt you down here.

"However, as long as you stay within Black Dragon City, they won’t dare lay a finger on you.

"Furthermore, you’re already at the Ninth Level of the Second Realm, with the potential to push for the Third Realm. Once you break through to the Third Realm, you will quickly possess the strength of the Battle Sky Spirit Realm. By then, those at the first or second level of the Void Spirit Realm probably won’t even pose a threat to you.

"In that way, you’ll be adding a tremendous amount of power to our Black Dragon City."

Mo Qianqian nodded. "In the future, if there’s anything I can help with, just say the word."

Lao Liu nodded and teased, "Once you’re strong enough, just wipe out Cyan Cloud Mountain and the Imperial Alliance."

Mo Qianqian was rendered speechless. Those were two factions on the exact same level as Black Dragon City. He was far from having that kind of power.

"Oh, right! I have something to lend you!" Lao Liu took out three small jade bottles containing a murky substance. "Qi of Chaos. You’ve heard of it, right? I’m lending you three bottles. Since you’ve never refined it before, it might help you push for the Third Realm."

Seeing this, Mo Qianqian’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Miss Lao Liu! I will definitely repay you in the future."

"Double," Lao Liu said.

Mo Qianqian’s face darkened. Double? Wasn’t she just scamming him? Truth be told, though, if this allowed him to break through, he would willingly pay her back double. Ultimately, regardless of whether Lao Liu was serious or not, Mo Qianqian accepted the Qi of Chaos.

Lao Liu didn’t say much else, implicitly confirming the double-repayment deal.

"This Qi of Chaos is extremely useful for cultivation." Pausing for a moment, Lao Liu added, "I’ll give you some free information. Rumor has it that the Qi of Chaos in this Realm of Chaos is produced by a single entity—the Source of Chaos. All the Qi of Chaos endlessly flows from this Source of Chaos."

"The Source of Chaos?" Mo Qianqian asked in shock. All this Qi of Chaos was continuously generated by this so-called Source of Chaos? Wouldn’t that make the Source of Chaos incredibly precious?

"No one knows exactly what it is, but to be able to endlessly produce Qi of Chaos, it must be the very core of the entire Realm of Chaos," Lao Liu explained. "I’ve also heard rumors that the Source of Chaos might reveal itself soon."

Mo Qianqian was shocked once more. That thing was going to appear? The entire Realm of Chaos would likely be plunged into turmoil!

"Currently, the places with the thickest concentration of Qi of Chaos are Black Dragon City, Cyan Cloud Mountain, and the Imperial Dynasty Alliance Headquarters." Lao Liu continued, "Some speculate that the Source of Chaos might be hidden in one of these three locations, and it could emerge from any of them.

"Once this Source of Chaos appears, it will inevitably trigger a massive upheaval throughout the entire Realm of Chaos.

"When that happens, the whole Realm of Chaos will probably fight to the death over it.

"Of course, this is just speculation. After all, so many years have passed without any Source of Chaos appearing, so the likelihood of this guess being true isn’t exactly high."

Listening to this, Mo Qianqian was already filled with trepidation. If this turned out to be true, he feared that even staying in Black Dragon City wouldn’t be safe anymore. When the time came, Black Dragon City certainly wouldn’t have the spare energy to protect anyone; they would be too busy fighting over the treasure.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, he needed to improve his own strength as quickly as possible. Personal power was the only true guarantee of safety.

"Oh, one more thing for you." After speaking, Lao Liu pulled a small pouch from her side. She gave it a pat, and a long spear instantly appeared in her hand.

"Is that... a storage bag?" Mo Qianqian was surprised again upon seeing this.

Storage bags contained their own independent spatial dimensions, capable of holding weapons and massive amounts of items. They were essentially mobile treasure troves. Naturally, he had heard of them before. It was just that they were far too precious; he had never seen anyone in the entire Great Xia Dynasty possess one. And yet, Lao Liu actually had one?

Of course, compared to the storage capacity of his Ninefold Coffin, this storage bag seemed far too small. However, using his Ninefold Coffin to store items carried a high risk of exposure. If he had a storage bag like this, he wouldn’t have to worry about that. The only thing to worry about would be whether others would attack him to steal the storage bag.

"That’s right. This thing is extremely precious. Someone gave it to me as a gift. In the entirety of Black Dragon City, there are hardly any people who own one." Lao Liu smiled proudly, then brandished the long spear in her hand. "Do you remember this spear?"

Only then did Mo Qianqian’s gaze fall upon Lao Liu’s weapon. It was a golden spear. Just by looking at it, one could feel its extreme hardness and sharpness, as though it were constantly poised to pierce through an enemy.

"Is this... the Spiritual Spear that was hung up in the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion?" Mo Qianqian asked in shock.

He had naturally seen this Spiritual Spear before. It was the very same one that had been displayed at the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion when he first entered the Imperial City. Back then, the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion’s method of selling the Spiritual Spear was quite peculiar. They didn’t accept elixirs, nor did they specify what they wanted in exchange. It was strictly a barter system—the pavilion would only agree to trade if they saw something they desired.

So how did this Spiritual Spear end up in Lao Liu’s hands now?

"It suits you perfectly," Lao Liu said with a smile. "The Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion said they would trade this Spiritual Spear for a favor from you."

"Are you serious?" Mo Qianqian was thoroughly stunned.

A Spiritual Soldier was a momentous treasure, one that had reached the level of amplifying a cultivator’s attack power. Normally, only those at the higher levels of the Tongyou Realm or above the Void Spirit Realm could unleash the true might of a Spiritual Soldier. They were incredibly expensive. Even looking across the entire Great Xia Dynasty, one would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of them.

This was because the forging process of a Spiritual Soldier was far too demanding. If someone wanted to upgrade ordinary Top-Grade Weapons into a Spiritual Soldier, they would need a Spirit Master of the Third Grade or higher to do so. Moreover, even a Third-Grade Spirit Master would require a painstakingly long time to accomplish it. It could take several years, over a decade, or even longer.

Such a precious Spiritual Spear—and the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion was just giving it to him? Just in exchange for a favor?

"After your performance at the Ling Family’s home, apart from the enemy forces, there’s probably no one who doesn’t want to recruit you, including the royal family. A favor from you is absolutely worth the price. Of course, that’s provided you don’t die prematurely," Lao Liu explained.