After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Xiaobai opened his eyes.

The first thing he felt was a soreness throughout his body, especially his brain, which felt as if it was being torn apart, unbearable.

Gritting his teeth, he managed to sit up halfway, rubbing his forehead for a while until he finally felt some relief.

That’s right! Jiang Xiaobai’s eyes became clear, and he quickly got up and looked around.

When his gaze met a pair of huge eyes, his expression froze for a moment, then he coldly said, “Damn it, why the hell are you staring at me!”

“You…” The big demon, originally quite calm, became angry again upon hearing Jiang Xiaobai’s words, but soon relaxed again.

“Never mind, I won’t argue with someone as young as you!”

After a pause, it continued,

“What you did just now was quite impressive, pulling out that sword. I really didn’t think you could do it!”

It had not held much hope for Jiang Xiaobai before.

Who would have thought, this kid actually did it!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai remembered something and looked around, trying to find that black sword.

“Stop looking, that sword has already fused with you!” The big demon spoke indifferently.

 

“Fused?” Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai quickly felt around his body.

“You won’t be able to feel it!” The big demon was amused by Jiang Xiaobai’s actions, giving him the impression of a cultivation idiot.

Shaking its head, the big demon explained, “This fusion can be divided into two types, spirit fusion and soul fusion. Spirit fusion takes place in the dantian, while soul fusion occurs in the niwan (a place in the brain). Since you have no spiritual power, it must be the latter!”

During this explanation, the big demon’s large eyes flashed with a strange light.

In the path of cultivation, having a spiritual root is common, but it’s extremely rare to find someone with a natural soul root.

 

If Jiang Xiaobai’s soul root also had a certain attribute, he would definitely become an object of frantic competition among the major clans.

“Oh? So, is this fusion a good thing or a bad thing?” Jiang Xiaobai didn’t understand these matters, so he could only ask the big demon in front of him.

“Heh…” The big demon sneered, staring at Jiang Xiaobai, “That question, I’m afraid no one can give you an answer.”

“Why?” Jiang Xiaobai’s brows furrowed, his pale face even more puzzled.

“That sword is very strange and its origins unclear, troubling us for a hundred years. Now that it has fused with your soul, whether it’s a blessing or a curse, only you can explore.”

 

The big demon said mockingly, “It’s possible that you’re alive and well today, but tomorrow you might be dead on the spot!”

This was not mere exaggeration. That sword was too mysterious, even the old sword sage couldn’t figure it out, let alone others.

Seeing Jiang Xiaobai’s increasingly panicked expression, the big demon’s sneer deepened.

Just as it was about to provoke him further, it noticed Jiang Xiaobai’s expression gradually returning to calm, unexpectedly looking at it.

Hmm? The big demon was surprised.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaobai said indifferently, “Heh, I was already a dead man. Living one more day is a bonus, it doesn’t matter!”

 

After speaking, his tone softened a bit, “Anyway, thank you for your explanation just now!”

The big demon could have chosen not to say anything, but since it did explain, he naturally wanted to express his gratitude.

He was clear about gratitude and grievances.

“Explanation?” Upon hearing this, the big demon’s gaze turned icy,

“What makes you think you deserve my explanation? I was merely speaking offhand just now!”

“I’m just damn thanking you!”

 

“I forbid you from thanking me!”

“I still thank you!”

“I’ll kill you!”

“Come at it!” Jiang Xiaobai faced the pressure from the big demon without flinching.

“You… you…” The big demon trembled with anger, eventually taking a deep breath and turning away, appearing almost like a sulking wife.

Seeing the big demon like this, Jiang Xiaobai felt somewhat nervous inside, but still said lightly, “I remember you said, if I could pull out the sword, you would reward me!”

 

Seeing the big demon turn around with an icy look, before it could speak, Jiang Xiaobai’s calm voice rang out, “

How is it? With such a majestic body and noble temperament!”

“Still willing to joke with a nobody like me?”

“Heh, I… naturally wouldn’t joke with a nobody like you!”

The big demon deflated again, feeling somewhat guilty.

After all, it had harbored intentions of killing Jiang Xiaobai. Not killing him was already quite merciful.

And now, this guy still wanted a reward?

 

But after what Jiang Xiaobai said, if it didn’t offer a reward, it would lose face. So, it could only coldly say, “Speak, what reward do you want?”

Jiang Xiaobai’s face lit up with joy. It seems that adding a bit of playful banter occasionally does no harm.

Moreover, it was clear that the big demon fell for this approach.

However, he didn’t speak rashly, instead falling into thought.

For him, the immediate crisis had been resolved.

But outside dangers still loomed.

If he went out, Yang Cheng, who was after him, would definitely not let him off lightly, and might even attempt to kill him.

 

In that case…

Jiang Xiaobai raised his head, his eyes shining as he looked at the big demon, “I want to kill someone!”

Oh?

The big demon became interested at once, “Kill who?”

“A senior brother!”

Jiang Xiaobai candidly said, “He arrived earlier and is very strong. I can’t defeat him!”

“How so, that old scholar doesn’t care about you?”

The big demon asked.

“This…”

Jiang Xiaobai hesitated at first, then firmly said, “I was thinking of talking to the old ancestor about it, but after seeing you, I didn’t want to talk to the old ancestor anymore!”

“Why?”

The big demon’s gaze flashed with confusion.

“Heh, why? You still have the face to ask me why?”

Jiang Xiaobai sneered, staring at the big demon, “If it weren’t for your unparalleled temperament and overwhelming presence, would I come to you?!”

The big demon’s body shook for a moment, and then it couldn’t help but stand up, proudly raising its head, glancing sideways at Jiang Xiaobai, “Good lad, I didn’t expect someone as young as you to have such a sharp eye!”

“My hidden valor has actually been seen through by you.”

“Good, good, good!”

The big demon repeatedly praised, “I will help you with this matter, but…”

At this point, the big demon glanced at the chains around it, “But my movements are ultimately limited, so you need to lure that person here!”

“When the time comes, leave everything to me!”

After saying this, the big demon exuded a murderous aura.

“Do you have any other methods?”

Jiang Xiaobai, feeling the sudden drop in temperature around them, forcibly suppressed his discomfort, “He knows you are here, and fears your reputation. Luring him here might not work!”

When he had charged in, Yang Cheng had not set foot here, indicating his extreme wariness of this place.

Luring him over seemed unrealistic.

The big demon’s gaze flickered, and after a moment, it slowly said, “There is another way. I can leave a spirit mark on you, but this mark requires spiritual power to be drawn out!”

Saying this, the big demon asked, “Do you have spirit stones on you?”

“Yes!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai looked around, then picked up some Bigu Pills and spirit stones from the ground.

“Heh, these spirit stones are not even low-grade!”

The big demon glanced at the spirit stones in Jiang Xiaobai’s hand, full of disdain, “I’ve never seen such trashy spirit stones!”

“…”

Jiang Xiaobai’s pale face was full of speechlessness.

“But having them is better than not!”

The big demon said, “You need to cultivate now. You don’t need to reach the first level of Qi Refinement, just sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will allow you to draw on the power of these spirit stones.”

“Okay!”

Jiang Xiaobai’s spirits lifted, and he took out the Qi Refinement scroll given to him by Elder Huang.

He carefully read the first page, and after about a quarter of an hour, he closed the book, sat down, and began to try.

According to the book, Qi Refinement is about breathing in and sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, condensing it in the dantian to form spiritual power.

It sounds simple, but in practice, it’s not easy.

As he continued to try, the big demon watched him from the side, somewhat coldly.

Half an hour passed.

An hour passed.

Gradually, it became dark outside.

The big demon was becoming somewhat impatient at this point.

So long had passed, why was this guy still meditating?

In its confusion, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly moved.

The big demon’s eyes instantly narrowed, then it saw Jiang Xiaobai stretch his arms in a yawn…