The Card Cultivation System
CCS-92

Huo Bing looked at Xika questioningly. He rarely saw Xika with his grim face. And that certainly doesn't mean well.

"What's wrong?"

Xika did not directly answer Huo Bing's question. He's confused. To the point that his head feels like it's about to break. He still could not believe that the boy in expensive clothes in the past was the cause of the massacre of his village.

Actually, he knew all along. It was just that he kept denying that fact in his head and trusted more of the lies he had made himself.

From the words of the boy when the slaughterers asked him he already knew that the boy was one of the causes of his village being destroyed. But he still doesn't want to believe it. Maybe because he wants friends? I don't know.

Xika had no intention of believing. Not in the future either. But when the facts are presented in front of you and you still reject them, it only means one thing. You're ignorant.

He was still staring for a while. And neither Huo Bing nor Heiliao bothered him. They don't even argue, which is something they rarely do.

After feeling calmer, Xika finally opened her mouth. With a heavy heart he told about the red boy with the symbol of a bird and a fighting snake stamped on his shirt. He also told about how the boy was connected to the massacre of his village and about him still rejecting that fact.

To this day. He could no longer resist when he heard that fact coming out of the mouth of the red-robed young man. His words that questioned his identity already meant very clearly. The young man had intended to kill him.

After Xika told him the messy contents of her head no one spoke for a while. It's very quiet. Even the voice of the conversation in the next room was clearly heard even though Xika was not interested in hearing it.

Finally it was Heiliaolah who broke the silence.

"The young man was no ordinary cultivator. How did you escape from him first?"

And Heiliao's question successfully got a sharp plot from Huo Bing. A second later Heiliao realized that she was not supposed to ask that, at least for now. But Xika's next words made the two creatures surprised.

"Eitherway. I don't really remember. They took turns attacking me. After that, my memory ran away. All I felt was the pain I received. The last pain I received came from my dantian and after that everything was completely dark. The first thing I saw was my uncle."

Both Huo Bing and Heiliao were surprised to not expect Xika to answer their questions. Huo Bing remembered when Xika first mastered the wind element, the boy suddenly recalled a bad memory that seemed to be related to his village. He did not want to talk at that time.

Heiliao frowned. It seemed as if the boy's dantian was indeed intentional. The wolf did not think. Even Spirit Beasts would not have the heart to do such things even though they were not of the same kind. Humans are more terrible than animals.

"So that young man was the cause of your dantian's destruction?"

Huo Bing again glared at Xika. This time with the words 'can't you keep your mouth shut?' without sound.

Xika nodded grimly.

"Instantly, yes."

"Then what now? What are we gonna do?"

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

Xika did not answer. It took some time for him to answer.

"We don't have to do anything. Just focus on our previous plan."

The two creatures frowned at the same time. If Huo Bing invited Xika to fight with Hei Bao, the child would definitely not hesitate for a second. But this time he was unwilling to act anything on the young man who had caused his dantian to crack?

Xika. He saw Huo Bing looking at him and he realized the meaning of that gaze. He smiled weakly.

"How high is his cultivation?"

"Around.......Forming Qi 5 or 6."

"seen? He's even stronger than me. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ehh. You don't even hesitate despite knowing that Hei Bao is at the level of Forming Qi 8."

Xika shifted her eyes. Now he looks at the floor of his room.

"I know. Maybe I'm still afraid of him. I knew that he was the cause of my dantian cracking indirectly. He was the one who caused me to receive humiliation for ten years with my uncle. It's just.........When I remembered her face, that helpless feeling filled with despair came back to haunt me."

Heiliao seemed to still want to protest but Huo Bing stopped him.

"alright. If you say it like that then we won't do anything."

Xika nodded slowly thanking. And the mood returned to silence. This time it felt even heavier. Huo Bing knew he could not let Xika stay like this.

With a heavy heart he invited Xika to play capsah. The corner of Xika's mouth was slightly raised when she heard Huo Bing's words. Heiliao joined in as well. It turns out that the wolf also knows the game of capsah. It didn't take long for a smile to reappear on Xika's face.

He laughed when he saw Huo Bing losing more than Heiliao. Heiliao gave him an arrogant look that Huo Bing immediately replied to. Huo Bing laughed out loud as Heiliao lost, much louder than when he won against Xika. The atmosphere is back bright.

Heiliao and Huo Bing were arguing and would still continue arguing until tomorrow if Xika did not stop them.

"Alright, alright. How about we talk about what we're going to do tomorrow? I didn't buy anything because my mood was ruined by that goddamn waitress. I want to see how his face looks when Gong Tao is really going to give it to me."

Huo Bing nodded.

"really. Moreover, we cannot act freely because of Gong Tao. After all it's the first time we've met a representative of the Pavilion and we have to determine the attitude."

Heiliao also agreed with Huo Bing.

"Ah, that's right! Why didn't you ask for information about Hei Bao back then?"

"His words further shattered my mood, that time. After all, we must not let him know what kind of relationship we have with Hei Bao. By asking about his condition, he could guess a little bit about our relationship with him."

"Don't he already know that he attacked your clan?"

"At least he doesn't know my relationship with that young man."

Heiliao nodded.

"What are we going to buy?"

Heiliao frowned.

"It seems that's too obvious. We can't let them know our purpose."

"Isn't our relationship with them still neutral?"

"Not if they find out about our relationship with that young man. They'll definitely pick that young man."

"So we won't buy from them?"

"No. It would be difficult to gather those selangka ingredients without using the Pavilion. The chance to find him is very small. Like looking for Phoenix feathers or Unciorn horns."

"Phoenix feathers? Not too rare anyway." Xika said as she glanced at Huo Bing's wings.

Huo Bing smiled arrogantly. But before he began to explain about the long history of his family that was so grand and noble, Heiliao stopped him.

"alright. Maybe not as thin as Phoenix's feathers. But it's still the horn of a unicorn."

"Hey!" huo Bing Protest.

"So what are we going to do? Buy or not?"

"We'll keep buying it. But we won't let them know our purpose."

They all agreed not to let the Pavilion know they would form Huo Bing's body.

"How is it?"

"We're gonna need a lot of money."

Xika frowned, but Heiliao did not speak anymore. Xika gave up on finding out and went to sleep.

-----------------------

The next day, Xika walked back towards the Pavilion. On the way Heiliao told him his plan. They would buy a wide variety of spiritual herbs and materials that were quite valuable, so it would not be conspicuous if the items Huo Bing needed were tucked away one or two.

"Wait first. It was a good plan but I'm not sure I have that kind of money. Wouldn't the plants be in vain? We're not gonna use it."

"For the moment. If you're already more proficient in alchemists, those ingredients will be useful."

"That's true. But what about the money? You still haven't answered."

"Don't you have any pills that are already useless?"

During his time at the tomb, Heiliao taught him various kinds of pills. And among them there are pills that are no longer useful for him. Such a Pill Gathering was useful for helping cultivators at the Qi Gathering stage break through to the next level. Xika was already at Qi Gathering level 9 so he did not need those pills anymore.

"You're planning on selling it?"

"of course. Don't you need it no more?"

"But wouldn't that reveal my identity as an alchemist?"

"not necessarily. If you met Cao Ping and saw that young man selling Pill Gathering would you think that he made it?"

"Yahhh....."

Heiliao nodded.

"The same is true of Gong Tao. He'll be suspicious, indeed. But he wouldn't immediately guess you as an Alchemist. Alchemists were quite rare in the Lin Dynasty after all. And I'm sure Gong Tao knows almost everything. By selling those pills, Gong Tao will become even more curious about you."

Xika nodded her head with an expression that was still unwilling to part with her homemade pills.

"Ah, one more. Sell all the Condentation Pill you have."

"What's? Then how am I going to break through the Qi Forming stage? You forgot I had four dantians?"

Condentation Pill was useful for Qi Gathering stage 9 cultivators who were about to break through to the Qi Forming, just like Xika was today. He still did not drink it because he wanted to strengthen his strength first. He planned to use the pills soon.

"Selling those pills will make Gong Tao think that you are already at the Qi Forming stage. That'll help. At your current age, it is already genius enough to achieve the Forming Qi."

"I have four dantians and I have only started cultivating for one year. If I wasn't a genius then there wouldn't be anyone who deserves to be called a genius."

Heiliao shrugged his shoulders.

"ah! You haven't answered my question either. How am I going to break through the Qi Forming if I sell all those pills?"

"You'll keep going through it. And you can't use a pill to get through it."

Xika frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you're gonna be weaker. You can use pills to increase your cultivation, but you must not use them to break through the next stage. Cultivators who penetrate with the help of pills will be weaker than cultivators who penetrate without using pills."

"Isn't that not too different?"

"That's very different. Every time you break through, you lay your foundation. Pills will help you penetrate more easily, but they will also weaken your basic foundation."

Xika nodded at Heiliao's explanation.

And as Heiliao's explanation ended, they arrived at the front door of the Immortal Pearl Paviliion.