Chapter 23 Laughing at Jokes

  The stone pedestal rolled to the ground with a dull rumbling sound, while the wall flashed with a burst of light, and the protective seal took effect, leaving no trace behind.

  Even so, Shi Dong was shocked and speechless, never expecting that a casual kick after using the True Qi of Yun Shuai would have such power, and his calf didn't hurt much, just slightly numb.

  I recall being bullied by the young thugs from Suiyuan City in the past. Now, if I were to fight them again, I'm afraid that with just a bit more strength, I would end up breaking their bones and splitting their skulls open.

  What a surprise! It turns out that we are indeed separated by two mountains after all!

  As long as one cultivates for a day, they will be vastly different from ordinary people. What's more, having cultivated for a year already, who knows how formidable he will become by the time he returns to his hometown?

  "I only hope... I only hope that at that time, Mother and little sister still recognize me, as long as they don't treat me like a monster..." For some reason, Shi Dong felt a faint sense of unease.

  However, his unease only lasted for a short while. After all, he was still young and soon became engrossed in the joy of his body becoming stronger. One moment he would practice a few moves; the next, he would manipulate the true energy within him, letting it dart about in his meridians like little mice. Then, he would imitate Bai Jin, Lei Huang, and Hao Ren, mimicking their mannerisms and tone. Another moment, he would pretend to be his master, Shi Tu Jin, putting on a stern face and letting out a cold hum.

  "Bang bang bang...... Green turtle, little rooster, fat turtle, hahaha! You're all paralyzed with fear!" As he spoke, he pretended to fall to the ground, his face pale as he lifted his head, just like he was facing Sutu Jin.

  He suddenly shuddered, as if he really saw his master staring at him coldly, with a pair of sword-like eyebrows raised high... and immediately became silent like a cicada in winter, not daring to make any more jokes.

  He felt that his master was like a great mountain, his majestic figure overlapping with the clouds and misty peaks, silently, silently... watching over the disciples on the mountain, every move, no one could escape his eyes...

  He fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and swept away the uneasy thoughts in his mind. He thought to himself: "Master is so formidable now, I shouldn't go tell White Shixiong that I've passed the Qi Refining stage yet. I heard all disciples who pass have to see Master immediately. As someone with a lower-tier talent, I only took nine months to break through successfully, which will surely make Master suspicious!

  Why not... I'll endure for another two months, and see Master again at the end. It's also in line with my poor qualifications. Since that's the case, I'll use this period to train my body, practice my fists and feet, and temporarily stop practicing the Revolving Wheel of Fortune and the Divine Art of the Five Elements, so as not to reveal any flaws in my cultivation."

  After careful consideration, for the next two months, Shi Dong did not leave the second gate and stayed in the cave to practice his self-created fist and footwork. He secretly pondered the coordination of the true energy with the fist and footwork, and unexpectedly gained some insight.

  In his spare time, he would repeatedly flip through the "Gambler's Bible", memorizing its contents word for word, and then burn it with a single flame to avoid leaving any trouble behind.

  As for the remaining 94 bottles of Dan medicine and 95 pieces of Ling stone, as well as that Invisibility Token, there was nowhere to hide them, so they could only be temporarily stored in the storage waistband. He thought to himself that as long as he kept a low profile, no one would bother to rummage through his storage waistband out of boredom.

  But when it comes down to it, if things have really gotten to that point, it means you've already given others leverage over you, and trying to cover it up is pointless.

  In this way, Shi Dong naturally gave outsiders the illusion of intensifying his cultivation and rushing towards the Qi Refining stage, and no one suspected him.

  However, he didn't know that since the battle, Lei Huan's reputation had been rising higher and higher, and he had become the leader of many new disciples. Some excellent disciples who had broken through to the first layer of Qi Refining and learned magic spells were already following him, doing tasks for the sect and earning contribution points and spirit stones.

  As for Mao Feifei, after that one battle, he seemed to have suffered a major setback. Although he broke through the first layer of the Refining Qi period just a month later, after meeting with Situ Jin, he closed his door and devoted himself to bitter cultivation, as if seeking an opportunity to fight against Lei Huang again.

  Apart from this, there is one person who has become a topic of conversation among people after meals and tea, that is Shi Dong.

  That day, he fell on his butt under Mao Feifei, and as a result, his nose was bleeding profusely. Later, the miserable sight of him hugging Mao Feifei and wailing made everyone remember it deeply, thinking that Shi Dong was really unlucky, and when the two were fighting, he actually fell into it, which was laughable to the extreme.

  If it's said that this person is clumsy, no one can surpass him. It's also been passed down that this person has poor innate talent and is only slightly better than a third-rate cultivator. As a result, some bored people made a bet, betting that this stone will definitely not be able to break through the first layer of Qi Refining, and instead want to see how laughable he'll look when he's finally expelled from the sect.

  Rumors spread far and wide, with only three days left until the deadline, eleven new disciples had yet to meet their master, including Shi Dong.

  From an unknown time, there were onlookers wandering outside Shi Dong's cave, planning to see his joke, but were driven away by Mao Fei Fei who rushed over after hearing the news. He sat cross-legged outside Shi Dong's cave, saying he wanted to guard the gate for his brother.

  Everyone was shocked, recalling the day when Mao Feifei left with a bloody face and Stone stayed in the cave for a long time before parting ways. Suddenly, they had an epiphany, and each of them had a sly smile on their faces as they quietly kept watch from a distance.

  Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed, and Shi Dong stepped out of the cave. He saw that he was radiant with joy, his expression calm and composed. He stretched out his hand to help up Mao FeiFei, who was still in a daze, and smiled: "Thank you, big brother, for protecting me. Fortunately, I didn't disappoint you. I just broke through the first layer of the Refining Qi stage."

  Looking at Shi Dongxi, his face was filled with joy and his spirit was soaring, it was the state of having just broken through. Mao Feifei stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly let out a loud shout, embracing Shi Dongxi with both hands: "It's great! It's great! Now you and I brothers can be together again!"

  Bai Mao Fei Fei was tightly wrapped around, Shi Dong couldn't breathe properly, looking at Bai Mao Fei's pale face and stubble-filled face, he knew that this sworn brother had been more anxious than anyone else.

  While feeling moved, I also felt a sense of guilt and thought to myself: "I'll find an opportunity to make it up to my brother properly, so that his concern for me won't be in vain."

  Mao Feifei immediately waved his hand to drive away the stunned crowd, shouting: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! I'm going to accompany my brother to meet our master!" Turning around, he grinned at Shi Dong and said: "Brother, you know what? These people are all waiting to see your joke! Haha, now that you've broken through, they're all stunned, haha! Haha!"

  Shi Dong couldn't help but know that although he was hiding in his cave, everything outside was being reported to him by Wang Bao through the transmission jade pendant. Not only that, but he had also inquired about his master, Si Tu Jin's, interests and hobbies, and knew that he was a cold and proud person with great spiritual power, but with unpredictable emotions.

  He had a grudge against the old devil Yin, and it was said that the reason for this was the competition for the position of sect leader many years ago. For some unknown reason, his master, Situ Jin, lost to Yin, so he has been secretly cultivating hard all these years, striving to break through the Yuan Ying period in one go, then defeat Yin and take back the position of sect leader.

  Recently, all new disciples who broke through the first layer of Qi Refining were summoned by him personally. Some were scolded, some were praised and given pointers.

  Look at this, the temperamental and strict master attaches great importance to the teaching of his disciples. It is said that in order to select the best, he will have a big battle with the disciples of the door master Yin Lao Mo in the five-year small competition of the sect, vying for face.

  Shi Dong didn't expect himself to be praised by Sito Jin, even if he was scolded, he would be happy, as long as his secret wasn't exposed.

  In recent days, he repeatedly studied the materials sent by Wang Baobao, pondering Master's temperament and thinking about how to respond when meeting him.

  So when others saw Situ Jin tense, the tension in Shi's heart at this moment had already reached twelve points, and his heart was beating faster and faster beyond control.

  But he still pretended to be calm and smiled and nodded at the disciples around him, and walked forward with Mao Feifei's accompaniment.

  Then came the sound of murmurs from behind him——

  "Hey, that's Shi Dong, he was hit by Mao Feifei and his nose is bleeding profusely! Ah, you didn't see it, the sight was simply ghastly!"

  "Is that so? But look at him, he's spirited and composed, and has also broken through the first layer of Qi refining. He shouldn't be too embarrassed to meet his master in a bit, right?"

  "What do you think? Can't you see that this guy is a good-for-nothing? And there's something else you don't know, when he first entered the sect, he was scared to tears by Second Brother! Haha, what a coward!"

  "Wow! Is this really happening? Then I'll take a good look, hehe, there must be something exciting to see!"

  ……

  "Scram!" Ma Feifei suddenly turned around and shouted, his copper ring-like eyes staring wide, his bowl-like fists clenched and shaking, this swarm of buzzing flies was driving him crazy.

  After a battle with Lei Huan, Mao Feifei's strength was not bad either. Ordinary people did not dare to provoke her, and those who spoke idle words could only slink away in defeat.

  Shi Dong didn't care about these things, turned around and said to Mao Feifei: "Big brother, just send me here! Next, I'll go see Master myself."

  "Take care of yourself!" Ma Feifei patted Shi Dong's shoulder and added, "Master is a reasonable person, you have a low-level talent but managed to break through the first layer of Qi Refining, he will definitely praise you, don't be afraid!"

  She was deeply moved and smiled slightly at him before turning around and walking away with big strides.