--- Chapter 27 ---
Baek Ain walked into the magical beast mountain with Lan Rou. His limbs are "currently." restrained with four black bracelets made of meteorites he gained in the "Showing Off." quest, making his movement awkward.
The nameless meteorite has a unique property, which increases its weight by absorbing the nearest energy source. It's also extremely tough and needed 13 days to melt and cast these four bracelets.
Baek Ain abused the meteorite's property and put 250 kg or roughly 551 pounds of weight on each bracelet, totaling a ton. And since the bracelets absorbed Baek Ain's Dou Qi, no wonder he walked like a duck.
However, wearing it in the last two weeks has proven effective. Baek Ain could feel every fiber of his body squirm in discomfort.
[Ding! The "Unrecorded Body Refining Technique has reached level 15]
"Status."
[Opening Status...]
[Name: Baek Ain]
[Race: Enhanced Human]
[Age: 14(Irrelevant)]
[Blessings: The Golden Crow & White Tiger]
[Physique: Pure Yang Physique]
[Soul Connection: Gnome(A)]
[Innate Skills: Breathing(A), Synthesize(B+), Soul Protection(Unknown)]
[Active Skills: Super Jump(A+), Steel-like Enhancement(B), Energy Blast(A), Stealth(B), Nirvana Touch(C), Pyrokinesis(A+), Life Drain(B), Revolver(B), Parry(B+)]
[Passive Skills: Energy Mastery(A), CQC(A), Pain Resistance(S), Poison Immunity(A+), Blade Mastery(A), Hidden Weapon Mastery(B), Healing Factor(A), Sixth Sense(A), Lightning Impulse(A), Parallel Thinking(B), Alchemist Instinct(S), Herbology(S), Eastern Alchemy Mastery(A+)]
[Cultivation: 1-Star Dou Spirit]
[Martial Techniques: Tiger Lashes Kicks, Three Breakthrough Punches, Silent Shadow Steps, Seven Star Blade Art, Voice Changing Art, Wings of Freedom]
[Body Technique: Blood Tiger Muscle, Unrecorded Body Tempering Technique]
[Cultivation Technique: The Record of the Burning World(Incomplete)]
"There is still a long way to go, huh?"
Baek Ain skillfully maintained a steady walk and felt someone's gaze from time to time. Lan Rou also felt the same and gave him a nod, searching for suitable terrain to uncover this stalker.
They arrived at a small hill, giving them a view of the magical beast mountain's peak.
Baek Ain stretched a little and said, "Go for it, Rou."
Lan Rou disappeared into the wind and chased after the person who monitored them. She pinned the person to the ground with her shoe and asked, "Who sent you?"
"I-I'm not an enemy!" A shriek of a girl made Lan Rou frown.
Lan Rou pulled the hood on the stalker's head and revealed a young lady around Baek Ain's age or maybe slightly older.
She wore a broad-sleeved, white robe and green skirt. Her huggable waist was "actually." tied with a silver-colored belt and showed her narrow waist, supporting the double B-cup bosom and developed rear. The young lady has long, light-red hair tied in twin tails.
Even though the young lady's face was "slightly." covered by dirt, she was unmistakably a noble beauty with several charming pints, especially those bright red eyes.
"You... What is Misty Cloud Sect's Disciple doing here?" Lan Rou recognized the white robe and questioned in confusion. "And with 7-Stars Dou Master Realm at that, was it suicide?"
"No, that can't be..."
"Your teacher should be around, right?"
The young lady nodded affirmatively and replied, "My master is surveying the area. Since this place only has 1-rank magical beast, I should be safe and bored..."
"U-Um, I was following you two out of curiosity."
"Sorry, Senior."
"..." Lan Rou.
"..." Baek Ain.
After clearing the misunderstanding, they sat around a campfire and silently stared at the fire.
'Master Yun will be disappointed in me.' The young lady fumbled with her finger and decided to open her mouth.
"I know what I did is somewhat creepy... So, I'll repent and introduce myself first. You can ask for compensation if you want. Misty Cloud Sect and Nalan Clan would definitely satisfy you two."
'Oh god.' Baek Ain facepalmed because there is only one young lady in this world who is from Nalan Clan and affiliated with Misty Cloud Sect.
And that person is the cliche ex-fiance of the protagonist, who annuls the engagement out of her arrogance, Nalan Yanran.
"My name is Nalan Yanran." She bowed respectfully toward Lan Rou.
"Once again, I'm sorry for my shameful act."
Fate is playing around with Baek Ain, making him sigh in exhaustion. Out of all places, he met Nalan Yanran here.
Lan Rou accepted Nalan Yanran's apology and returned, "It's okay."
"You're lucky the people you followed weren't hostile. You could have lost your life there."
"Yes. I'll take this as a lesson." Nalan Yanran smiled wryly.
ROAR!
A deafening lion roar suddenly echoed all over the magical beast mountain. From the sheer force of roar alone, this beast should be a 5-Tier magical beast, but Baek Ain knows better.
"Rou, grab that girl. We are going there." Baek Ain stopped supplying his bracelets with Dou Qi Energy, causing his entire body to feel light as a feather.
[Super Jump]
"It's dangerous, so follow my order if you want to live from now on, Nalan Yanran." Baek Ain disappeared from Nalan Yanran's vision, leaving her speechless.
Lan Rou kicked the ground and followed Baek Ain while bringing Nalan Yanran like a sack of potatoes.
They arrived at the other side of the hill and saw an intense fight.
"That magical beast... The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King." Lan Rou uttered with a surprised expression.
Nalan Yanran spotted a familiar figure in the sky and worriedly said, "Master Yun."
A massive purple-winged lion hovered in the sky. Its furs are purple and white, having a red horn on its forehead lit with a purple flame. The lion's claws are sharp and are a darker purple color than its fur, shining with a black gleam.
On the other side, a calm-looking lady floated in the sky. She wore a tight greenish-white dress that covered her exquisite frame while wielding a strange-looking long sword, emitting a green-colored light. Her silky black hair was "neatly." held in place with two wing-like accessories.
That beautiful and unmoving face is very calm, revealing not the slightest change even when faced with a massive lion well-known in the Dou Qi Continent.
On the mysterious woman's back was a pair of green-colored wings that appeared slightly illusionary. Those were likely formed from her Dou Qi, signifying her status as a Dou King or stronger.
ROAR!
"DESPICABLE HUMAN!" The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King spat furiously.
"Just hand over the purple crystal. I have no intention to fight you, Lion King." Yun Yun responded calmly.
"SCRAM!"
"So be it..."
Baek Ain's hazel gold eyes burned the scenery before him.
The Lion King flapped its wings and roared at Yun Yun, sending a wave of purple flame into the sky.
Yun Yun waved her sword gracefully and created a storm. Two attacks nullified each other, creating a sonic boom that spread over the mountain.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave washed over Baek Ain's body, but he didn't move a single step. It's the first time Baek Ain witnessed two powerhouses fighting each other, causing so much destruction with an exchange of attacks.
An amber within his body seemed to burn when watching this.
ROAR!
SWOOSH! BOOM!
Even though Yun Yun used Wind Dou Qi, she still gained the upper hand against the Lion King. Her attacks covered vast areas, and the wind barrier protected her from all kinds of offense until the 6-rank magical beast used a sly trick.
The Lion King baited Yun Yun to the volcanic mountain and used the surrounding advantage. "DIE, HUMAN!"
'Danger!' Yun Yun's eyes twitched a little. She couldn't dodge because deactivating her wind barrier would let Lion King attack her freely.
CRACK! BOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!!
The volcanic mountain erupted and was followed by a pillar of purple flame, swallowing Yun Yun's body.
"Master-!" Nalan Yanran panicked when seeing this.
Yun Yun's barrier shattered into pieces as she fainted due to intense heat, falling from the sky freely. The Lion King was about to cut her body to pieces with its claw, but Baek Ain won't let the beast do it.
[Super Jump 5x]
BAM!
Baek Ain arrived at Yun Yun's side and snatched her from the Lion King's grasp, disappearing into the lush forest. He sent an energy blast at the sky and gave Lan Rou a code to retreat.
As Baek Ain ran away from the 6-rank magical beast with Yun Yun in his arms, he couldn't help but comment, "Heroine is always a hassle."