The "Black Shark Drifter'' was originally the only one residing on Black Stone Mountain to cultivate. This time, after he had left, Wang Ping and Lin Xiao'e became the only two living people on the mountain.
And according to his instructions, apart from the cave abode that he had sealed off before he left, Wang Ping and Lin Xiao'e could move freely on the mountain, as long as they didn't go beyond the array formation.
After watching the "Black Shark Drifter" leave, Wang Ping turned to Lin Xiao'e, who had remained silent, and said, "Xiao'e, you heard what Senior Black Shark Drifter said. During this period of time, I will take care of you and teach you how to read. You must study hard and not let Senior Black Shark Drifter down."
Upon hearing his words, Lin Xiao'e, who had been obeying him like a puppet over the past two days, suddenly had a flash of light in her eyes. She seemed to have regained her vitality as she opened her arms and hugged his waist. She looked up at him with pleading eyes and begged. "Brother Ping, can you stay here forever? When Senior Black Shark Drifter returns, Xiao'e will beg him to let Big Brother Ping stay here to cultivate, is that okay?"
To be able to stay on Black Stone Mountain and cultivate with the "Black Shark Drifter," a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if it was to become his servant, was something that many cultivators on the island would fight for.
To them, that was absolutely a great fortune that they would fight to have, by hook or by crook.
But Wang Ping was different…
With a miraculous treasure like the "Heaven and Earth Shell" in his hands, how could he dare to move about when the "Black Shark Drifter" was watching him?
Therefore, though he could not bear to see the little girl's pitiful look, he still rejected her without hesitation.
Of course, the reason he would give for doing so was definitely not that.
He squatted down and pulled the little girl into his arms. Gently stroking the back of her head, he said, "Xiao'e, I appreciate your good intentions, but this matter isn't as simple as you think."
"The senior Black Shark Drifter hasn't let anyone serve him on the mountain for a long time. This means that he likes peace and quiet and that he doesn't like to have too many people around, disturbing his cultivation."
"Even if he were to hold back his displeasure and accede to your request, he may just take his anger out on me in the future, and this will only be detrimental to me!"
Speaking up to this point, Wang Ping shifted his hands and rested them beneath the little girl's chin, raising her young and tender face to look at him. Then, he smiled and pinched her face, saying, "Even if we cultivate separately, Brother Ping will still make frequent visits to Black Stone Mountain whenever the temporary market opens. By then, it will be very easy for you to see Brother Ping."
"Really? Brother Ping, will you visit Xiao'e often in the future?"
The little girl's eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Ping with joy.
Knowing that she was not going to mention anything more about having him stay in Black Stone Mountain, Wang Ping heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he couldn't resist a tease. "Of course, Brother Ping is still hoping that you, Xiao'e, will be able to help take care of Brother Ping when you get rich in the future. What would become of me if you forget about me because I don't visit you?"
He did not expect the girl to take his joke seriously.
The little girl immediately shook her head and proclaimed with a serious expression. "That won't happen. Xiao'e will definitely not forget Brother Ping. Xiao'e will definitely work hard to cultivate. In the future, we will kill those man-eating demon beasts together!"
Wang Ping was stunned for a moment after hearing her words. Then, he smiled and said, "Okay, then Big Brother Ping will wait for that day to come."
After undoing the knot in her heart, Lin Xiao'e reverted back to her lively and diligent self once again. She was also very proactive and hardworking when Wang Ping was teaching her how to read.
While he was teaching her how to read, Wang Ping was also studying his newly-obtained low-grade Dharma artifact, the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart.
The Dharma artifacts used by cultivators were also categorized into different grades; usually the low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade artifacts.
It was said that these Dharma artifacts also had treasures on them, but they could only be used and held by Core Formation cultivators.
Apart from the different grades, the Dharma artifacts used by cultivators could be further divided into offensive, defensive, and auxiliary artifacts according to their functions. Some artifacts could possess all three functions, but most of them would only have one for maximum efficiency.
The Meteor Fire-Snake Dart that Wang Ping had obtained was a low-grade offensive Dharma artifact.
As a low-grade Dharma artifact, the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart would not be able to display its full power until it was refined.
Thus, before Wang Ping could test the artifact's power, he had to refine it first.
The method to refine a low-grade artifact like this was easy; Wang Ping followed the one that he had learned from other cultivators. First, he pricked his finger and dripped a few drops of blood onto the serpent-shaped dart.
Then, he formed a hand seal and used a spell called the "Blood Sacrifice," allowing the Dharma artifact to absorb his blood and establish a simple connection with it.
He could inject his Dharma powers into the artifact to activate it through this connection.
This method of using the "Blood Sacrifice" to refine a Dharma artifact could allow him to use the artifact before his cultivation reached the middle-stage of Qi Refinement and he mastered the ability to project his divine sense.
However, once the Dharma power he had injected the artifact with was exhausted, he would have to take the artifact back and inject more power into it again before he could continue using the artifact for his attacks.
As the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart was only a low-grade Dharma artifact, the Dharma powers that Wang Ping injected it with could only be activated once.
Even so, it did not affect Wang Ping's fondness for this artifact.
At the same time, the artifact's power did not disappoint him either.
Compared to his "Golden Blade," he realized that the damage caused when the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart hit the target was almost comparable to that of two "Golden Blades."
It wasn't a stretch to say that if he had this dart when he was dealing with the two Alligator-Tailed Toads, he would have been able to severely injure the two toads in one strike, not to mention instantly kill them.
This made him extremely satisfied with his decision of choosing the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart as his Dharma artifact.
With such a powerful weapon in hand, he could attempt to go out to sea to hunt for demon beasts by himself after returning from Black Stone Mountain.
The experience and knowledge that he had accumulated from working for other cultivators without remuneration were finally going to come in handy.