These words alone were enough to show that his master had entrusted her entire world to him.
He stopped falling silent, parted his lips slightly, and spoke in an exceedingly gentle voice.
"Very well! From now on, you will sleep with me every night."
A moment later, Jing Mingxuan lay in bed, glancing sideways at Su Muchan, whose face was radiant with happiness beside him.
"Goodnight, Master!"
Su Muchan replied in a soft, childish murmur, "Mm-mm! Goodnight to you too."
The next morning, the first sliver of dawn pierced through the darkness.
Jing Mingxuan slowly opened his eyes.
It was not his internal clock that had woken him, nor was he eager to get up; rather, he had been continuously sensing an object heavier and much softer than a blanket pressing down across his entire body.
To be honest, it felt rather comfortable.
Therefore, he wanted to investigate.
The blurry image in his eyes gradually cleared, until he finally caught sight of a pair of lustrous, cherry-red lips.
His half-asleep brain snapped awake instantly!
Without even needing to think, he knew these were his master's lips.
Looking closer still, that exquisite, flawless face was right before his eyes.
Fair and delicate, with graceful curves, it was an absolute masterpiece of the mortal world.
It forced him to marvel at how the world could possibly produce such a breathtaking face.
After gazing for a good while, Jing Mingxuan finally remembered why he had opened his eyes in the first place.
He lifted his head slightly, gently parted the bedding, and looked down.
He was dumbfounded!
Earlier, he had thought Su Muchan was merely leaning close to him.
Now, upon closer inspection, good grief—Su Muchan's entire dainty figure was pressed directly against him.
No wonder it felt softer than a quilt!
Even if he jumped into the Yellow River now, he would never be able to wash himself clean of this misunderstanding!
Anyone else would have been burning with anxiety, but Jing Mingxuan wore a look of utter excitement.
Unable to wash clean?
Wasn't that even better?
After all, his original intention was to become cultivation partners with his master.
Heh heh!
Oh, Master!
Your terrible sleeping posture has truly done a massive favor.
Glancing down once more, vast expanses of snowy white came straight into view.
Jing Mingxuan was instantly stirred, crying out inwardly that he couldn't take much more of this.
When he considered that such breathtaking scenery was his and his alone to enjoy, his mood soared to the heavens.
At that moment, he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He quickly looked up and found Su Muchan's exceptionally clear and innocent phoenix eyes.
"Disciple! What are you looking at under the covers?"
Jing Mingxuan fell momentarily silent. How was he supposed to answer?
Initially, he had wanted to lie, but the moment he thought of Su Muchan's pure nature, he really didn't want to deceive her.
"It's just that Master's sleeping posture is too terrible, and you ended up sleeping right on top of me."
Su Muchan's face didn't blush; instead, she pouted her lips with a grievance-laden look, a layer of mist gathering in her eyes as she murmured softly, "I was afraid you would disappear, so I held onto you. If you feel very uncomfortable, I won't hold you anymore in the future, but you must still let me sleep with you."
Looking like this, his master seemed so pitiful.
Jing Mingxuan couldn't help the surging impulse in his heart to protect her.
He raised both hands, gently holding the fair beauty in his arms, and said, "Master! I don't feel uncomfortable at all. I was just curious, so you can keep holding me like this from now on."
"That's wonderful!" Su Muchan wept tears of joy, acting no different from a little girl.
Master!
How adorable!
Jing Mingxuan wore a blissful smile, his gaze growing even gentler.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the duel with You Feng arrived.
Jing Mingxuan had just finished practicing the Divine Cultivation Method and began to review his own state.
A split second later, a voice of utter astonishment rang out.
"Holy crap! First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm already?"
Eight sessions of practicing the Divine Cultivation Method had propelled him, someone with the cultivation of the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm, to this level. Truly absurd!
Then he thought of the thirteenth male lead from the original novel, who had taken a full month just to begin his path of cultivation.
It took him three months to break through to the First Layer of Transcendent Realm.
And a full year to break through to the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm.
As for himself? A rough estimate suggested it wouldn't even take ten days for him to advance from the First Layer of Transcendent Realm to the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm.
Viewed this way, the thirteenth male lead was truly trash, while he himself was immensely powerful!
After pondering for a moment, Jing Mingxuan concluded that the reason for this outcome was his cultivation aptitude.
No wonder the thirteenth male lead's aptitude improved later on, allowing his cultivation and strength to surpass even the female lead, who had always maintained a massive lead.
At that moment, Su Muchan walked to Jing Mingxuan's side, her slender, delicate fingers resting lightly on his sturdy shoulders.
"This Divine Cultivation Method is formidable! Your foundation right now is even sturdier than mine was back then; suppressing cultivators within the Qi Ocean Realm will be a piece of cake."
Jing Mingxuan gave a soft "mm" of acknowledgment, feeling even more confident.
The You Residence.
You Feng walked around covered in sweat.
To all appearances, he was walking normally like anyone else.
Yet with every single step, You Feng wore a ferocious expression with gritted teeth, veins bulging and muscles straining, as if every movement required Herculean effort.
"That will do! To be able to move even under the imperial might of a Great Emperor Tier magical treasure unleashed by a Dao Entry Realm cultivator—dealing with Jing Mingxuan should be more than enough." A cold yet sweet voice rang out from nearby.
You Feng felt the pressure on his body abruptly lighten. Looking toward that graceful, immortal figure, he quickly and respectfully cupped his fists and said, "It is all thanks to Master's assistance; otherwise, I could never have achieved this."
"Although as your master I feel you should have no problem defeating Jing Mingxuan, I still advise you not to be arrogant. It is best to defeat him in a single strike." The female lead said, her phoenix eyes narrowing.
The fact that this boy Jing Mingxuan had repeatedly caused her to stumble was something that simply never happened in the past.
Seven days was neither long nor short.
In terms of cultivation, making a breakthrough was basically very difficult.
Thus, if Jing Mingxuan wanted to defeat You Feng, he could only rely on trickery.
Because of this, she had spent these past seven days specifically training You Feng in resisting imperial might.
And You Feng had not disappointed her; under the imperial might of a Great Emperor Tier magical treasure wielded at the Qi Ocean Realm, he could now move freely.
Yet why did she still feel a sense of unease in her heart?
The female lead couldn't figure it out, and finally she simply gave up entirely, abandoning all thought on the matter.
"I will keep Master's words firmly in mind."
You Feng's expression was extremely serious; at least in terms of attitude, he wasn't just paying lip service.
In truth, his target this time around was to outright finish off Jing Mingxuan.
In his view, once he eliminated Jing Mingxuan, he would win his master's favor, along with a Supreme Stage magical treasure and a Great Emperor Tier magical treasure.
As for the female demonic cultivator's furious wrath, it wasn't that he hadn't considered it, but with his master present, the female demonic cultivator could never stir up any major waves.
However, under the effects of the Divine Cultivation Method, the current Su Muchan possessed a seventy percent chance of victory against the female lead.
Previously, it would have been sixty.
Tianyan City, the dueling arena.
It was already packed with people, and betting for the upcoming duel was underway.
Odds: Jing Mingxuan at 3x, You Feng at 0.3x.
"Jing Mingxuan versus You Feng? No matter how you look at it, You Feng is going to win this match! Do we even need to place bets?"
"Brother, you must not know! Jing Mingxuan's master is extraordinarily wealthy, directly handing over two Great Emperor Tier magical treasures. Otherwise, there is no way the odds would look like this when a Transcendent Realm cultivator faces a Qi Ocean Realm one."
"Holy crap! Two Great Emperor Tier magical treasures? That's insane!"
"Please, give me a dozen masters like that."
"Heh! The other party is a female demonic cultivator. Back then, not a single person dared to become her disciple—only Jing Mingxuan went. As for receiving such treatment, I certainly don't envy it."
"I don't envy it either. After all, she's a demonic cultivator reviled by everyone; there's a strong chance she'll be struck down by some powerhouse the very next second!"
"According to the grapevine, rumor has it that this female demonic cultivator is a powerhouse on the exact same level as the Empress."
"Hiss~"
Everyone present drew in a sharp breath.
Many people wore smiling faces on the outside while deeply regretting their choices on the inside.
Soon, the betting closed.
Yet the betting results left everyone dumbfounded: You Feng accounted for a mere one percent, while Jing Mingxuan commanded ninety-nine percent.
And 98.999 percent of that had been placed by Jing Mingxuan through Jing Cheng.
The funds used weren't the Jing family coffers, but rather the cultivation resources previously obtained from the Lord of the Abyss and the female lead.
Naturally, the bets placed here were merely the tip of the iceberg.
After all, how could a mere dueling arena in Tianyan City ever compare to the foundations of the Abyssal Forbidden Land?
Jing Mingxuan's goal this time was very simple: to take over the most profitable dueling arena and make it the pillar of the Jing family's future income.
Seeing this, the higher-ups of the dueling arena immediately held a meeting.
A moment later, the meeting concluded, and all the higher-ups wore expressions of helplessness and powerlessness.
Before absolute strength, they didn't have a single shred of a chance—unless You Feng won!
At the entrance of the dueling arena.
You Youxing, head of the You family, watched You Feng walk over and tossed a medicinal pill directly toward him.
"Feng'er! Win this match, and our You family will secure ten percent of the dueling arena's shares."
You Feng desperately wanted to crush this pill—which temporarily boosted strength dramatically—but for the sake of the family and to leave himself a fallback, he ultimately stowed it away in his spatial ring and nodded. "Don't worry, Father. I will definitely win this time."
He walked into the dueling arena with firm strides.
Looking ahead, what met his eyes was the dashing and elegant Jing Mingxuan.
"Let me put on a little show for everyone first to liven things up!"
Curiosity filled the gazes of the audience.
In a flash, Jing Mingxuan's aura burst forth across his entire body.
Every cultivator at or above the Qi Ocean Realm was startled, their eyes glazing over as they muttered in unison: "First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm?"
Chapter 11: Shocking the Entire Audience
It wasn't that they lacked worldly experience.
It was just that Jing Mingxuan, who had been at the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm just seven days ago, was now at the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm. The speed of this cultivation breakthrough was simply absurd!
After calming down, they all concluded that Jing Mingxuan had done this solely to boost his cultivation realm, completely disregarding his cultivation foundation.
Yet upon closer inspection, they were all dumbfounded: his aura was thick and incomparably stable, solid enough to rival an iron boulder.
You Feng was struck dumb with astonishment.
He even slapped his own handsome face, producing a loud, sharp crack.
It wasn't a dream?
Then.... how on earth did Jing Mingxuan pull this off?
The female lead was also utterly baffled, gazing into the distance at Su Muchan, who stood aloof from the world just like her.
Is demonic cultivation really this unreasonable?
Or perhaps this female Demon Empress simply had an exceptional method for teaching her disciples?
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, the most important task was to steady You Feng's mindset.
She immediately sent a strand of divine sense transmission: "You Feng, although we cannot yet see through the truth of the matter, it is utterly impossible for someone to advance to the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm in such a short time and still maintain an aura this stable. My master's intuition tells me this is an illusion."
You Feng's heart sank.
What his master said made complete sense.
In seven days, breaking through from the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm to the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm—how could anyone possibly maintain a stable foundation?
Soon, You Feng's mindset recovered its equilibrium.
"Jing Mingxuan versus You Feng, begin!"
At the command, Jing Mingxuan drew the Purple Lotus Sword from his waist with a swift swish.
In an instant, the imperial might of the Purple Lotus Sword erupted, sweeping across the entire dueling arena.
Through the previous spread of news, the audience already knew Jing Mingxuan possessed a Great Emperor Tier magical treasure.
Yet knowing and experiencing it firsthand were two entirely different things.
Moreover, the imperial might released by a Great Emperor Tier magical treasure was genuine.
Consequently, the audience could not help but tremble, their eyes glazing over.
You Feng's face was dark, appearing as though he had been frightened by this wave of imperial might.
At that moment, the hope in the hearts of the dueling arena's higher-ups was utterly extinguished, their expressions turning ashen.
No wonder Jing Family Head Jing Cheng had placed such massive bets on Jing Mingxuan—he must have known his own son was guaranteed to win!
The dueling arena was finished this time!
"Hmph! Your imperial might is nothing special."
You Feng lifted his head with a disdainful tone, casting a sideways glance at Jing Mingxuan with an intensely arrogant air.
These words left the audience and the arena's higher-ups momentarily stunned.
Following that, You Feng took a step forward with absolute ease.
The audience and the arena's higher-ups were stirred into a boiling frenzy of excitement.
"You Feng! Keep it up!"
It had started as just a single audience member's voice.
But hearing it, those nearby chimed in as well.
In the blink of an eye, the momentum swelled into a deafening roar like a tidal wave, echoing throughout the vast dueling arena.
Hearing this, You Feng felt his spirits soar even higher, his momentum unstoppable as he felt certain he was about to defeat Jing Mingxuan.
"Jing Mingxuan, if you surrender now, you can at least spare yourself some physical pain."
Jing Mingxuan's mouth twitched.
Wasn't he just walking normally under imperial might?
Did he really think he could just get full of himself over that?
Actually, viewed from another angle, it was understandable.
You Feng, and even the female lead, believed that Jing Mingxuan could only rely on his Great Emperor Tier magical treasure.
Once that was gone, or if the Great Emperor Tier magical treasure failed to work, Jing Mingxuan would undoubtedly lose.
Seeing that Jing Mingxuan didn't reply, You Feng realized something was amiss and immediately summoned the medicinal pill given to him by his father from his spatial ring.
Sharp-eyed powerhouses among the crowd gasped in shock upon seeing it.
"Holy crap! He's actually taking a Qi Ocean Tier Void Spirit Pill?"
"That stuff can drastically boost one's strength. Given You Feng's situation, he'll probably be able to unleash power approaching the Eighth Layer of Qi Ocean Realm."
Immediately afterward, an aura exclusive to the Ninth Layer of Qi Ocean Realm burst forth from You Feng's entire body.
The audience members gasped in unison, even more convinced that You Feng was destined to win.
At that moment, a gleam of cold light emerged, so dazzling that everyone was forced to look.
Yet by the time they looked over, the cold light had already reached You Feng's very front.
With a sharp ripping sound, the cold light pierced straight through You Feng's robust torso.
You Feng's eyes widened in horror, his face filled with shock.
"You didn't even drink any bloodwine, why is your speed so fast?"
Jing Mingxuan gave a faint smile. "Who said I needed to drink wine to be this fast?"
In an instant, everyone present, including the female lead, fell silent.
Previously, they had all believed Jing Mingxuan's cultivation was either a facade or forcefully elevated.
Now it was clear that neither was true; on the contrary, the aura he had displayed right from the start was his true, genuine cultivation level.
Seven days to break through from the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm to the First Layer of Qi Ocean Realm, and with an extremely solid foundation to boot.
No one wanted to believe it, yet having witnessed the scene with their own eyes, they had no choice but to accept it.
Otherwise, it would have been utterly impossible for Jing Mingxuan to strike down You Feng—who had just popped pills and massively increased his power—in a single move.
"It's good that you got close; at least it saved me the trouble of having to hunt you down."
You Feng refused to give up, maintaining a calm expression as he spoke.
Then he forcibly circulated his cultivation technique, attempting to muster his internal spiritual Qi to launch an attack.
In a split second, You Feng's expression froze, his eyes sinking deep into their sockets.
"Why can't I mobilize my spiritual Qi?"
The audience wore expressions of utter bewilderment, too shocked to speak a single word.
Jing Mingxuan's lips curved upward into a smile. "Hah! Because your spiritual Qi has been sealed."
Suddenly, You Feng's face turned ashen, and he seemed to age years in an instant.
He recalled Jing Mingxuan's earlier attack, and the more he remembered, the more he realized it would have been impossible to dodge, even if he had tried with every ounce of his strength.
"How can this be?"
You Feng offered a wretched, bitter smile accompanied by a broken expression.
"Nothing is impossible." Jing Mingxuan stated indifferently, before turning his gaze toward the referee with an annoyed look. "Useless referee, announce the result of the match already."
Under normal circumstances, the referee would have long since given him a harsh dressing-down.
Yet right now, he could only swallow his anger and bear it, for two reasons:
First, Jing Mingxuan's master was someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
Second, the Jing family was very likely to become his direct superiors.
"Jing Mingxuan wins!"
Many of the spectators who had bet on You Feng wept openly.
Inside the dueling arena's conference room, however, the higher-ups were remarkably calm.
In their view, they wouldn't be replaced; they would continue managing the dueling arena.
It was just that in terms of revenue, it probably wouldn't be as lucrative as before.
Still, as long as there were loopholes in the regulations, they would exploit them to the death. After all, it wasn't their personal assets.
At that moment, a stunning beauty appeared beside Jing Mingxuan, smiling as she spoke in her heavenly voice.
"Disciple! I've already received those two shares."
Jing Mingxuan nodded slightly. "And the Empress?"
"She's already left!" Su Muchan said softly.
Hearing this, You Feng slumped his head in despair; he knew the Empress had completely abandoned him.
"Jing Mingxuan, I am the head of the You family. As long as you are willing to spare You Feng, whatever the You family possesses can be used to trade with you."
Jing Mingxuan glanced over and saw an elderly middle-aged man, who was most likely someone capable of making binding decisions for the You family.
Under normal circumstances, he definitely would have fleeced the You family heavily.
However, firstly, he was the disciple of a demonic cultivator—a born villain in this world—and he had already resolved to play the villain to the very end.
Secondly, You Feng was the thirty-sixth male lead from the original novel; letting him go now would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
Thirdly, while the You family was indeed formidable in Tianyan City, they were far too insignificant compared to the Abyssal Lord and the resources plundered from the Abyssal Forbidden Land alongside the five-percent Empress share, making them entirely unworthy of sparing You Feng's life.
Conversely, upon hearing the elderly middle-aged man's words, You Feng lifted his head with a dazed expression, clearly believing there was still room for negotiation.
"Apologies! I have no need for that."
As these words fell, You Feng, You Weixing, and even the audience were stunned.
No one had expected Jing Mingxuan to say such a thing.
Were the You family's assets insufficiently attractive, or was Jing Mingxuan's appetite simply too large?
No one knew, and no one would keep pondering it.
Because right after Jing Mingxuan finished speaking, the sword Qi of the Purple Lotus Sword swept across You Feng's entire body. In the blink of an eye, the You Feng before them vanished into nothingness, dead beyond a doubt.
The only thing that survived was a masterless spatial ring.
Having watched his soul burn away like an oil lamp, Jing Song closed his eyes and died in peace.
The members of the You family were furious.
How could a mere Jing family, a mere Jing Mingxuan, dare to treat the You family this way?
You Weixing understood the principle that circumstances dictate one's actions.
Once Jing Mingxuan hooked up with the female demonic cultivator, not only did he undergo a complete rebirth, but he also brought prosperity to the entire Jing family.
If the You family wanted to survive, they could not touch the Jing family, nor could they dare touch Jing Mingxuan.
Thus, he sent a divine sense transmission to the You family members present: "No one is permitted to provoke the Jing family, or you will be expelled from the You family."
The You family members grew even more enraged, glaring viciously at Jing Mingxuan.
It was all because of this fellow; otherwise, how could the You family have been reduced to this state?
Jing Mingxuan paid no mind to these furious glares, turning his attention with a relaxed mood to inspect the contents of the spatial ring.
A moment later, he spotted a black token inscribed with the character "Beast".
This item had been described in the original novel: it was an admission ticket to enter the Myriad Beasts Small World.
After thinking for another moment, Jing Mingxuan finally fully recalled the Myriad Beasts Small World.