Chapter 257: Tokugawa Haruhiko’s Gaze, Can’t Deal With Shangshan Che? Then I’ll Deal With You! Lili Zi, Shock The Crowd!
“Not playing.”
The Fox-faced Woman asked again: “Want to come in and play a round, sir?”
“Not playing.”
Something’s not right.
If he was still inside the Factory, then the scene before his eyes was very likely an Illusion, and it was related to the Memory Orb he had just touched.
If he went along with the intention of this Illusion, he might really sink into it and be unable to conduct a true exploration.
——Actually, using the Soul Seal to control this Fox-faced Woman with ordinary Qi was the quickest method.
But thinking that making a move might destroy the Factory and attract attention, Shangshan Che didn’t even ask what they were playing since he didn’t know if the woman in front of him was part of the Factory, and he shook his head directly.
Facing Shangshan Che’s head shake, the Fox-faced Woman didn’t get discouraged, but asked for the third time,
“Want to come in and play a round, sir?”
Shangshan Che still decisively shook his head: “Not playing.”
After the third refusal, Shangshan Che could clearly feel that something had changed.
The Fox-faced Woman looked up and stared at him quietly.
After a long time, she spoke in a rustling voice,
“Since you’re not playing, then please leave, sir.”
As soon as the words fell, Shangshan Che’s vision went completely black.
In a daze, he opened his eyes again and found that his field of view had become the familiar ceiling of his home.
Dead.
He had died because of a single sentence from that Fox-faced Woman who had no power to tie up a chicken.
Realizing this, Shangshan Che was slightly stunned and showed a subtle expression.
“Little Jia, did you feel anything just now?”
Ever since getting off the Eternal World Train, Shangshan Che had been wearing Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist.
But earlier, Little Jia hadn’t spoken up proactively and seemed to be pondering something, so Shangshan Che didn’t bother it much.
“I felt the Master die…”
Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated twice and let out a grievance-filled voice: “How are you so useless, Master? You died for no reason at all.
You scared me half to death. I thought I’d have to live the rest of my days as just a knife.”
“Little Jia, don’t be afraid…”
Shangshan Che patted the Hilt.
After just comforting it a couple of sentences, he remembered that he was the one who had asked Kaga Kiyomitsu about the situation.
How had the situation reversed instead?
Feeling Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist become pleasant again because of his comfort, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but feel speechless.
——Having a child pay attention to these minor details was indeed too much to ask.
Shangshan Che, who felt no pain or Threat at all, sat up and fell into thought.
This situation was somewhat like triggering a “Rules kill” from some powerful Supernatural Phenomenon.
Could the correct Strategy be to agree to that Fox-faced Woman’s request and go into that shop to “play a round”?
Playing against the pattern?
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes and decided that if he encountered this situation again next time he entered the Karuta III Factory map, he would ask what they were playing and how to play.
But now he couldn’t enter anymore, because both lives had been used up.
He looked out the window and found that the skyline had already turned fish-belly white.
Dawn was breaking.
He should first take Lili Zi to the Seed Battle preliminary selection, discuss other things after it’s done.
Because Lili Zi was not a District 23 Seed, even after signing up, she still had to queue.
Queuing early meant finishing early.
If they went at noon, they might have to wait until the next day.
As soon as he opened the Room Door, Shangshan Che sensed a faint but extremely pure Energy surging toward the Balcony outside the Living Room.
This Energy was not Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, yet in Shangshan Che’s intuition, it was even rarer than Spiritual Energy.
——A girl with a high ponytail and wearing a white short-sleeved shirt was sitting cross-legged on the Balcony, her whole body enveloped in a faint golden gauze.
Her skin all over was flushed red, the Muscle underneath writhing and trembling like giant dragons, the heavy flow of blood like mercury faintly audible, yet not a drop of sweat emerged on her body surface.
Lili Zi faced the gradually rising morning sun directly, circulating her Qi and Blood throughout her body to Temper all her Muscle.
Her breathing was long and thick, basically completing one full cycle of inhalation and exhalation every two minutes.
“As expected, she has reached the Realm of Embracing the Human Body Great Elixir. Even though her body is squeezed to the limit, she can still lock in her Energy and moisture, achieving the highest Efficiency in Cultivation.”
Shangshan Che didn’t make a sound, but marveled slightly in his heart.
He had tried it slightly last night; using “Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound” to stimulate the Breathing Technique could already double his original Cultivation Speed, or even more.
With Lili Zi’s Embracing the Core method, the Efficiency was probably more than ten times higher than before!
Perhaps it wouldn’t take many days, or even before this Seed Battle ended, Lili Zi could complete the entire Cultivation of the “Palace of Flesh” and practice one of the Four Great Ultimate Forms as a demonstration for him.
“Master, the Great Demon King is really quite impressive…”
Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist spoke somewhat reluctantly: “Although I felt it yesterday, I didn’t expect the Great Demon King’s Cultivation method to be so seamless and natural, feeling even more impressive than you, Master.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu’s voice grew smaller, vibrating almost imperceptibly,
“Little Jia kind of wants to learn it.”
“—If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”
A clear and pleasant voice accompanied a solid white mist exhaled by Lili Zi.
She didn’t exert force, only relying on a slight vibration of the Qi Barrier beneath her to stand up.
The girl turned her head and looked smilingly at Little Jia at Shangshan Che’s waist.
“Uh ah!” Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated fiercely, its Blade even slipping out a small section from the Vermilion sheath, “How can you hear our whisper with Master when we’re speaking so softly!?”
“Because of Sword Principle.”
Lili Zi didn’t hide it; she used her finger to pluck at a thread that Kaga Kiyomitsu couldn’t perceive: “Because Little Jia, you’ve vaguely touched the threshold of Sword Principle, and you really are a sword.
So whenever you speak and vibrate, these Sword Principles will move along with it.”
“Got it, got it.”
This time, Kaga Kiyomitsu didn’t vibrate but spoke in Shangshan Che’s heartstrings.
While speaking, it also sneakily glanced at Lili Zi’s reaction.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Lili Zi later.”
“No trouble.” Lili Zi waved her hand, “Little Jia isn’t dumb; just say a couple of sentences and it’ll grasp the knack.”
These words flattered Kaga Kiyomitsu into blooming joy, its Blade shaking happily nonstop in the sheath.
After chatting about Kaga Kiyomitsu, Shangshan Che curiously followed up: “Also, what were you absorbing just now while Cultivating facing the sun?”
“As expected of Shangshan Jun.”
Lili Zi, with flushed cheeks and radiant complexion, smiled at him: “Essence of the Sun. This is a special Energy that only appears in Heaven and Earth when the sun rises during the day.
Similarly, Essence of the Moon should appear when the sun sets and the moon rises.”
An unheard-of substance was added.
Seeing his puzzled look, Lili Zi continued to explain: “This is also something I sensed after Embracing the Core and came to the Balcony to Cultivate, only then discovering this wonder.”
“Right now, there’s no particularly obvious feeling.”
Lili Zi clenched her fist and rubbed her glistening fingertips: “But intuition tells me that if I persist long-term, there should be considerable gains.”
Having learned it too, Shangshan Che nodded inwardly, planning to ask Nanjo Emi later if she had any related absorption methods.
If the Realm wasn’t enough, couldn’t he make up for it with techniques?
This kind of small technique with a very narrow scope basically had no Proficiency levels; once learned, it was considered complete.
He could finish it with one look.
Simple and easy.
“If the morning Cultivation is done, then let’s head out.” Shangshan Che said, “Also, in this Seed Battle, at least Kitada Kei and Minamoto Shizuka have gone very far in Sword Principle.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The girl smiled slightly and walked out the door side by side with Shangshan Che.
……
At six o’clock in the morning, the Arakawa Ward Main Road, which should have been empty, was instead bustling with people coming and going; Internal Qi, Qi Barrier, and Spiritual Power Fluctuations of varying strengths rose everywhere in a chaotic mix.
Extremely lively.
Because it was still the preliminary selection time for the Eastern Region Seed Battle—this was also the first super event officially organized after the Tide arrived and the great Supernatural era began.
And no matter what Cultivation method, as long as one stepped over the Supernatural threshold, they could sign up to compete against that Two-Star peak Puppet.
This was an event for the general public, a true case of “you could probably do it if you went up.”
Of course, there was also the reward of “100 Special Affairs Office contribution points” just for completing the preliminary selection.
Anyway, signing up was free, no harm in trying.
But precisely because of this, even Shangshan Che passing by ordinarily could feel all sorts of gazes landing on him.
“Hey? Doesn’t that look like TOP5 Shangshan Che?”
“Damn, it really is! Signature, I need to get a signature!”
“Shangshan Jun—! We love you forever!”
“This is Shangshan Che? Doesn’t look that strong… Want to try a hand with me?”
Frenzied Fans, surprised passersby, and boys and girls dissatisfied with his fame who wanted to test him.
“Wait, why is there a girl next to Shangshan Che?”
A sharp-eyed Onmyoji noticed that Lili Zi wasn’t just a passerby; she had been walking side by side with Shangshan Che the whole time.
With that Onmyoji’s words, the people who had been staring at Shangshan Che immediately shifted their gazes to Lili Zi, who was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, with extremely low presence.
“Now that you mention it… Could she be his girlfriend?”
“Guh, Shangshan Jun already has someone, my heart is shattering!”
“Tch! No matter how bad Shangshan Che’s taste is, he wouldn’t go for an ordinary person.”
“Right, she’s just a Normal girl, why her! If it were me by Shangshan Jun’s side, it’d be better!”
Hearing the pile of gossip from those around, Shangshan Che, who originally didn’t care, furrowed his brow slightly.
He looked at the utterly ordinary girl beside him, no different from before meeting the Kitsune-dog,
“Converging your Qi again?”
“I originally thought that since we’re walking on the street, it’s better not to be too flashy and casually release Qi, which would disturb everyone’s daily life.”
Lili Zi’s voice was gentle,
“I’m actually very kind-hearted.”
Shangshan Che nodded: “That’s true.”
She smiled at Shangshan Che, drawing another wave of hostility: “However, I forgot that Shangshan Jun, you’re a big celebrity now; lots of people recognize you on the street.”
“What about now? So many gazes coming your way are full of hostility…”
Shangshan Che asked, his meaning self-evident.
“A lot? I don’t think so.”
Lili Zi replied nonchalantly: “If they want to look, let them look.”
Half an hour later, the two arrived at the Arakawa Ward Venue where the Doorway was already crowded with Audience.
Most Audience had no channels to go to Sky Dome One, but they were very interested in the district preliminary with very cheap tickets.
After all, after watching videos, everyone wanted to witness Supernatural beings in action up close.
——Since it was the preliminary, it wasn’t at the previous Sky Dome One, but held in the respective district Venues of Tokyo’s District 23.
Arakawa Ward had a total of three large Venues.
This was Venue One.
After passing through the VIP fast lane, the number of Competitors inside decreased significantly.
Shangshan Che glanced around and saw about a hundred people now—a whole day would probably mean hundreds of preliminary Challengers per Venue.
And the Seed Battle preliminary stage would last more than a week.
Calculated this way, the number of participants was terrifyingly large.
With the earlier experience, Shangshan Che, who had used Thousand Faces to become a passerby face, hadn’t sighed yet when he caught with his peripheral vision Lili Zi beside him lifting her bright eyes.
Patta, patta…
Five steps later, Lili Zi fully entered the Competitor waiting area inside the Venue.
Her usually hidden and converged Qi was completely unleashed.
A domineering, wild, and unstoppable aura centered on her and instantly filled the entire waiting area.
Except for Shangshan Che, the other Competitors here for the preliminary all felt some degree of suppression rising in their hearts.
In an instant, chaotic whispers rose among the crowd.
“Who is this? Looks like a high schooler… Could she be from the Three Great Families?”
“What are you thinking! The elites of the Three Great Families wouldn’t come to this place for preliminaries. This girl doesn’t have a big background, but she’s not someone we can afford to provoke!”
“Hmph… Putting on such a show before even going on stage, just grandstanding.”
Lili Zi ignored them all.
“Shangshan Jun, I’ll go first.”
“Okay.”
She walked to the end of the queue, stood behind the youth who had just called it “grandstanding,” closed her eyes, and began silent Cultivation.
But because she wasn’t converging at all, her Spirit Fluctuations during Cultivation were also released, stunning the youth in front.
The youth turned back, speaking with an unfriendly expression,
“Hey, kid, can you converge a bit!”
“If you can’t even ignore this minor interference, go home and train for another three years.”
The youth’s face twitched upon hearing this, anger surging in his heart.
But before he could speak, he saw Lili Zi open her eyes indifferently.
A bright, domineering gaze as substantial as reality hit him, making the youth tremble all over, subconsciously letting out a startled cry, his remaining words scattered.
Witness!
This was a move to intimidate others that could only be used after one’s Spirit and State of Mind reached a certain level.
“You… you you, just you wait!”
The youth muttered, unable to suppress the inexplicable panic in his heart any longer, and hurriedly ran away from in front of Lili Zi toward the Venue exterior.
At this point, some Competitors with keen insight or Three-Star or higher Strength immediately reacted.
“Expert! A big expert has arrived!”
……
At the same time, Tokugawa Haruhiko, who was collecting info on notable Seed Battle Competitors to prepare countermeasures, paused his gaze slightly.
【Tokugawa Ririko】
This name appeared on the preliminary list.
After a quick check, he learned that not long ago, Ririko had gone to the Arakawa Ward Venue with Shangshan Che.
“Hmph, Tokugawa Ririko, if you’d kept hiding, I wouldn’t have had a good way to deal with you, but you dare to blatantly join the Seed Battle? You really are bold as brass…”
Tokugawa Haruhiko sneered repeatedly and dialed a call within the clan,
“Right now I can’t deal with that Shangshan Che, you think I can’t deal with you?!”
