The Card Cultivation System
CCS-222

Xika was sure that her acting seemed convincing when she saw the faces of the two girls who looked worried and alert.

He ran quickly but tried not to let his steps be heard. He did not think too much about Hua Zhantian, but he had to appear vigilant in front of the two girls.

Suddenly he stopped. He just remembered he shouldn't have run. Flying can be a good option nowadays. It just so happened that he had not seen the condition of his wings since the last time he used them. So he stood in a hidden spot on a branch of a shady tree, then enlarged his wings.

And the pain immediately invaded him. He almost lost his balance due to the pain as well as dizziness. Fortunately, he held another tree branch to prevent it from falling. It could be dire if Hua Zhantian found himself lying unconscious.

After enduring the pain for a while, he began to get used to the taste, still hurting but not directly destroying his concentration. Slowly, he looked back at his wings. This time he enlarged his wings without covering them with any Qi.

The wings look sad. The beautiful green blue color that always adorns its wings is now almost invisible, there is only a little at the edges. The middle is worse. He could barely see the feathers on his wings. Even the bones that make up the skeleton of its wings can be seen easily.

Again, the pain attacked him. This time not because his body was shocked by the sudden pain, but because he was sad to see his wings crushed like this. He doubted even his wings could be moved like this.

He tried to touch his wings a little, and immediately grimaced because of the pain he received. Huo Bing would definitely be furious. But he had no other choice. Only the bird could he ask for help with his wings.

"Huo Bing?"

Xika tried to call Huo Bing. At first the bird did not answer. It seemed like the bird was still concentrating on cultivating and trying not to lose to Heiliao.

"Huo Bing? There's an urgent matter!"

Huo Bing finally answered him. The bird sounded a bit upset.

"Xika, I'm gonna peck you if you bother me for non-essential business. The Wolf Shreds emitted a different aura, it seemed that it would not be long before he broke through to the next level. I can't lose."

"I know, but it's urgent. My wing's broken."

"That's not mass-WHAT?!"

Xika closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. Huo Bing's shout resonated in his head. Since this communication was a kind of telepathy, and their souls were already connected, it seemed that he could not resist Huo Bing's voice. The same goes for Heiliao as well.

"Xika, you handicapped boy! What the hell are you doing?! How did your wings get damaged? You're a bird, a human being, a wolf is included, but you have wings so you can be considered a bird. The wings are like life to a bird, you know! Why don't you take good care of her?!"

Xika laughed wryly hearing Huo Bing's scolding.

"Tell me how your wings are and how they can be damaged."

So Xika told me about her being forced to look for the Spiritual Plant by herself, then accidentally saw Wu Liao who looked troubled and disappeared strangely and he followed the girl, then protecting her from the bastard who turned out to be Hua Zhantian they had been looking for all this time.

".....................Xika, I don't know what to say. Don't you have that ice girl? Why do you have to help another girl get like that? And for me the reason your wings are broken is not ridiculous. You sacrificed your wings to protect. I commended you. But the thing you're protecting for me feels ridiculous. So the point is that your wings are damaged by something ridiculous."

"Sorry...it's too soon, I didn't have time to think of anything else to protect myself. Besides wouldn't you do the same thing if you were in the same place as me?"

"No. My heart died years ago. What if there is a girl in trouble? Life is hard. You can't help everyone."

"But I want to help everything I can help. He deserves help anyway."

"All you can help? There are many beggars in the capital though. Why don't you help her?"

"...................."

"deservedly helped? Who determines whether someone is worthy or not to be helped? In this world many die deserving of life and many live deserving of death. Can you fix that mistake?"

"...................."

Huo Bing was silent just like Xika. There was a long pause until the bird spoke again.

*"You said you went to the mountain to collect Spiritual Plants, didn't you? Collect these plants. Sky Cleaver Grass, Robust Corn, Typhoon Flower, Forceflee Nut. *Begging the Wolf to burn you with Hyper Swift Pill."

"All right."

After that, the conversation ended. Xika started to circle the mountain. He doubted the two girls would let him go again if he came back now no matter what reason he gave. Or at the end they will force their way. So he better find those plants now.

He glanced at his wings once more, promising to fix them, then slowly shrank them. After that, he surrounded the mountain by jumping from one branch to another.

Xika started looking for the Spiritual Plant she needed. First the main material of the Cloud Pill Forming. He found a full field so he left only one stalk so that the plant can grow again. Huo Bing would definitely scold him if he did not spare any of the plants he took.

Then next was the Sky Cleaver Grass. It was grass shaped like a machete or similar weapon. It should be a grass type plant growing on the ground below, but Xika doubts this one plant is the same considering its name contains Sky, which means sky.

This time he was not as lucky as before. The grass only appeared two or three times each time he found it. He always left one every time he took it. In total he gathered ten pieces.

The next Robust Corn, Sturdy Corn, if interpreted. It should grow on a lowland where the soil is solid, right? Xika managed to find it quite easily and a large amount. Unfortunately the corn was so sturdy that Xika had trouble plucking it. He spent more than half of his qi just to pluck out the ten stalks of corn.

Typhoon Flower and Forceflee Nut. Each lives up to its name. Typhoon Flower grew in the sky. Strange indeed, that was how the world of cultivation was. Actually not technically in the sky, the roots are still stuck in the host tree but the stalk and petal are located some distance from the host tree and are only connected by the roots so that it looks like floating in the air.

The flower petals were transparent and surrounded by a small wind that rolled around so that it looked like a storm. He said, the storm brought these seeds scattered to the trees of its hosts. The roots will be firmly planted in the host while the flowers will shine beautifully. When it comes to adulthood, this flower will destroy its host just as a storm destroys everything it passes through.

It was hard to find the flower. And the flower did not gather one field like the previous plant. He had to find them one by one, and many of the flowers were still immature. It took a long time before he finally gathered the ten ripe Typhoon Flowers. He left nothing behind because on the road earlier he found many immature Typhoon Flowers.

Lastly, the Escaping Peanuts. Yep, that name fits perfectly. The plant grows from underground. Before he grew up, he could only escape as far as the length of his roots. But as an adult, the nut has been completely removed from its roots so that it can escape as far as it wants. That's the best part. It was already dark when Xika finished collecting the plants.

Fortunately, he was able to find all those plants in a day. Not many lucky ones like him. Many people spend years just looking for a Spiritual Plant. Maybe his sensitivity to the environment helped him. Communicating with the five elements at once makes its closeness to nature grow closer.

Looking at the dark sky and the moon that was emitting its rays, Xika wondered how the two girls were. Are they still looking up to now?

But Xika's mind was piqued when she saw something move not far from her. Throughout this day, he had focused too much on searching for Spiritual Plants to forget about Hua Zhantian. He no longer jumps on a tree. Because there were some plants growing on the ground, so he looked for it by walking or running.

So it was not strange to see the man beside her at this moment. Did the man notice his presence? Seems not yet. The man held the ground occasionally and closed his eyes. And then finally smile.

"Xing Xika's. I know you're here. Come outside. You know our business isn't done yet, right? Come out like a real man and fight with me!"

Xika came out from behind the tree that hid her. He is not a coward, once faced with an opponent stronger than him. That was his determination after losing to Tian Yin.

"Heh. Your condition has improved? What was lacking before? I still have a few more attacks for you." Xika was trying to provoke Hua Zhantian.

But he did not expect this time Hua Zhantian had no intention of further ado. The man disappeared as Xika turned her head towards him. When his senses informed the danger, it was already too late.

BUKS!

Hua Zhantian appeared behind him and slammed into his back. Once again, he forgot the fact that Hua Zhantian was a Land Cultivator, and that the man was more experienced than him.

But the man moved at an amazing speed. Was that man still not using all of his abilities before? Moreover, his punch was, right about Xika's wings. He shrank it until no one would notice it even if people patted him on the back.

But the man's fist managed to hit his wings. And the pain as well as dizziness running throughout his body including to the head to inhibit him concentrate or think.

THE DUAK!

Another attack. This time Hua Zhantian's feet landed on Xika's stomach. He was thrown a few meters away before finally hitting a tree.

Bruk!

Blood dripped from the corner of Xika's lips. But he tried to ignore it along with all the pain running through his body. He can take care of his pain later. Now the most important thing was to escape from Hua Zhantian first.

This man suddenly changed. He was so arrogant and talkative. Why suddenly become quiet and constantly give an attack? Xika could not win from him. Not in this condition.

Xika raised one of her arms. His Qi formed a large ball of water before finally breaking into thousands of water droplets. Next he spread the wind to create rain, only that the direction this time was horizontal, not vertical, and aimed at Hua Zhantian.

Since the man was so focused on the ground, other elements should be able to interfere with his concentration. Moreover, rain can disguise its tracks, even if artificial rain.

He did not wait to see if the rain managed to disturb Hua Zhantian or not. He immediately ran away. But the rain alone was not enough even if he put in enough qi to injure Hua Zhantian. He needs another distraction.

A BLAR!

A fireball smashed into the wall of ground that Hua Zhantian had created at the very last second. That man indeed deserved to be a Disciple In the Strongest.

A SHOCK!

BLARS

One more fireball struck back at Hua Zhantian. The man smiled ridiculing Xika. He knew Xika was trying to escape. It seemed like the boy was giving away the fireball for not being sure that he could escape smoothly. But unfortunately, the fireball instead showed the boy's whereabouts and in which direction he escaped. Hua Zhantian simply followed the direction the fireball came from.

A BLAR!

Hua Zhantian smiled inwardly. The fear he felt before began to recede. To him, Xika was just a kid yesterday afternoon who knew nothing. Trying to challenge himself? Just dream!

The Disciple In the Strongest continued to follow the direction the fireball came from. Several times the ball attacked him from different directions but it was just a distraction. After a while, the attack finally stopped. Hua Zhantian assumed Xika was too tired to be able to give another attack or escape. Now just look for him.

But he had no idea that Xika was already far away from him and was heading towards Xingli's icy lake.

Xika's guess is right. Hua Zhantian was the type that used muscles, not brains. The man did not realize that he was being deceived. Xika floated her fireball from a different direction as it went. It is easy to do if you master the elements of fire and wind at once. And a little ground to cover the light of the fireball.

Xika arrived at Xingli lake an hour later. He remembered the surroundings around the lake, but he did not remember the way back. After all, the trees around the lake were very similar to the other trees.

BYUR!

He jumped in without thinking. What should he tell the two girls later? He would say he escaped from Hua Zhantian, that was why he returned long enough. That's true, he's not lying. Nor does it tell the whole truth.

But arriving at the bottom of the lake, Xika confusedly looked around the empty lake. Where did the two girls go? Are they out looking for him? That shouldn't be possible. Xingli would normally not take such an initiative, and Wu Liao also seemed unlikely. The girl should still be on guard with Hua Zhantian out there.

Then where did they go? There's no answer. There's no explanation. There's no clue. At least they can leave a message if they want to leave. Xingli probably wouldn't do it, but Wu Liao should. Unless he gets carried away by Xingli. Seeing Xingli not writing the message so he didn't write the message either? The possibilities are quite large.

Xika explored the lake where she was. Quite a large lake actually. There might be some hollows for them to hide in. They may hide because they are upset about being left behind. Yeah, it's possible.

Suddenly he felt a strange wave. It seems that the wave came from the ground. It seemed like Hua Zhantian was already conscious and was trying to find himself. So Xika tried not to touch the ground at all even though she was in the water. He was not sure he could win against Hua Zhantian even in the water with his current condition.

But other than that wave, Xika felt something else. It seemed that the wave formed some sort of resonance. Xika sensed the aura of a familiar element. And the wall of earth beside him rustled.

Now he knew where Xingli was coming from, despite not knowing what the girl was doing here. In that case, is it possible for the two girls to leave this mountain? He was sure that the wall that rippled was the exit of this place, just like the wall where Wu Liao had disappeared. There is not only one entrance.

He worries. Should he leave this forest? Escape from Hua Zhantian and recover himself. It was possible that the girls had already left this forest and returned to the Academy. But it could have been that the two girls came out to look for him. There is also the possibility of that. What's he supposed to do?

Xika touched the rustling wall and was sure it would take her back to the Academy. He closed his eyes. Inwardly, he promised to look for the two girls when he arrived at the Academy. If he did not find them, he would return to this forest looking for the two of them.

A SWUSH!!

And Xikapun back to the Academy. He was in the narrow alleys not far from where he had seen Wu Liao before, but a different passageway. He remembered the hallway and the wall that became the entrance to the forest. Then ran as fast as possible to find the whereabouts of the two girls.

He came out of those lonely alleys and was on the main road. He walked down the main road while watching his surroundings. Not many students come out of their rooms at night like this. So it should have been easy for her to look for Xingli and Wu Liao. Assuming the two were indeed out of the forest and not directly back to their room.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to find them. He met Wu Liao whose face looked agitated, but instantly changed as soon as Xika came.

Xika also sighed in relief seeing the girl. If Wu Liao was already here, then Xingli was here as well. Wu Liao couldn't possibly dare to stay alone in that forest.

Xika said, "Thank God." with a relieved face.

Wu Liao ran with tears on his face, whether containing relief, sadness, anger, or happiness and hugged himself.

While Xingli just kept silent looking at the back of Xika who was being hugged by Wu Liao. Under a moon like this, Xika seemed to match Wu Liao, the ice girl thought before turning around and walking away.