Born in the Yellow Rock Village, Feng Ning had only his mother to take care of him from the start until he reached the age of eleven. Unfortunately, his mother fell ill and died shortly after, marking a turning point for Feng Ning's life from bad to worse.
Due to insufficient nutrition and the hard work he endured to bring food to his stomach, his small body was unable to grow properly. From a young age to adulthood and finally to old age, he reached the age of seventy-two, beyond his expectations.
Having endured so much suffering, he no longer held an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on life, but rather lived comfortably on his own.
"It wasn't a perfect life, but it's still my life after all. The only thing I regret is not being able to have my own family."
Quietly waiting as his twilight years reached their end in his small house, Feng Ning ventured out after a heavy snowstorm in search of unburied treasure around the yellow mound near the village. The so-called unburied treasure was a stroke of luck from a villager who had found a beautiful yellow stone of high value. However, the villagers didn't know what it was, and some wandering martial artist bought it from them. They also attempted to search the yellow mound but returned empty-handed.
Feng Ning wanted to test his luck, wondering if the heavy snowstorm might have altered the topography of the ground and brought up more of those yellow stones. When he reached the yellow mound, he was alone, filled with happiness and excitement as he wandered through it.
With his old body and tattered clothes, he persevered until noon. Just as he was about to return home, he noticed something strange protruding from the snow-covered ground. Curiosity got the better of him, and he went to investigate, only to discover that it was someone's foot wearing a sandal made of cheap material. Shocked by his finding, he wanted to run away, but his curiosity outweighed his fear.
Feng Ning tried to dig out the buried person, pushing away the snow as he continued digging. To his surprise, he uncovered not one, but two people buried in the area—a man and a woman who seemed to be a couple, judging by their clothing.
Offering his condolences and checking their belongings, which held no precious items, Feng Ning felt disappointed and wanted to leave. However, as he walked away, the ground he had dug became unstable and he fell down.
To his amazement, Feng Ning discovered a spacious underground cave with an eerie atmosphere. Driven by his foolish ambition from his youth, he explored the cave and stumbled upon a book titled "Three Phase Mystical Life." This marked the beginning of his martial journey. Beside the book, there was also a jade bottle.
The cultivation technique contained both cultivation methods and martial techniques. Thanks to his old age, which was well-suited for the Three Phase Mystical Life, Feng Ning was able to cultivate with ease. With the help of the elixir in the jade bottle, all he needed to do was sacrifice three people from three phases of human life—the young, the adult, and the old.
Within a year, he had reached a stage above grandmaster, experiencing immense strength and a transformation of his body, which changed his mindset. Now standing in the air, Feng Ning stared coldly at the enchanting beauty on the ground. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful woman, and his old heart started to bloom again. However, he only sneered, realizing that she was nothing more than a monster. He believed that obtaining her red fruit would grant him power over any woman in the world, for it was strength alone that could fulfill his desires.
Feng Ning was certain that Huang Zhi still possessed her red fruit because he could sense it with his strong qi sense. The red fruit had integrated into Huang Zhi's new body, becoming her heart.
Ignoring the condescending and cold gaze from Feng Ning, Huang Zhi shifted her eyes towards Niu Chang, who was utilizing his newfound healing skill. Observing the passionate and lustful gaze from the young boy, Huang Zhi felt proud of her new appearance.
However, her mind recalled their previous conversation, and she shook her head in helplessness. 'If I had never heard his comments before, I would have taken this lustful expression as genuine. But for him, it's nothing more than a plaything to alleviate his boredom. Anger, joy, sadness, and even guilt are merely playthings for him.'
"How do you find my body, boy?" Huang Zhi taunted. "Didn't you say you wanted to be embraced by a beauty you had met before? Well, how about now? Who is prettier?"
Thanks to her complete human body, Niu Chang's previous discomfort with the disparity between plant and human had diminished. As verdant green qi surrounded his body, healing his massive injuries, Niu Chang blinked twice, the lustful look still present but diminished.
"You?" he responded with ridicule.
Despite his gaze fixated on Huang Zhi's body, Niu Chang stood his ground. "With your level, you dare to ask such an obvious question? It seems your transformation only affected your physical appearance, not your essence." Although his words contradicted his actions, Niu Chang couldn't help but keep his eyes fixed on the best parts of Huang Zhi's body.
Huang Zhi was speechless, caught between anger and laughter. Gritting her pearly white and delicate teeth, she held her anger while saying, "Boy, you really are something. You look at my body and then say otherwise. Do you want to see it without paying?"
As she moved her body slightly, trying to provoke Niu Chang with a glimpse of her best features, she thought, 'I want to see how long you can keep fooling around.'
"Woman, have some respect for yourself," Niu Chang hastily shouted, although his actions betrayed his words.
"Haha," Huang Zhi couldn't contain her laughter at Niu Chang's antics. Her face contorted in a weird way, appearing angry but only enhancing her adorableness and cuteness.
Feng Ning in the sky couldn't help but laugh along. His laughter, too, carried a certain charm due to his new body after undergoing the body reformation.
Hearing the laughter, Huang Zhi stared coldly at Feng Ning with her intimidating yellow eyes. However, Feng Ning dismissed it as a fleeting wind.
"See!" Niu Chang suddenly interjected. "Now she wants to educate me on how to behave properly. This woman is clearly lusting after my body."
Niu Chang didn't want to lose out on this change in Huang Zhi and continued to scan her body from top to bottom.
Clearing his throat, Niu Chang pointed his index finger at Huang Zhi, putting the blame on her. "Ahem, that woman over there, I'll say this much: no matter how you 'educate' me, I will never give my heart to you. I already have someone in my heart."
Continuing to gaze at Huang Zhi's best features, Niu Chang's eyes were fixated on them, contemplating, 'Tsk tsk, how can a change in temperament cause changes in her overall beauty?'
'I intended to have a maid in the future for convenience. Should I make her well-rounded or take in more maids?'
Lost in thought, Niu Chang fell silent, his eyes silently piercing through Huang Zhi's body.
"This boy has quite a way with words, don't you think?" Feng Ning broke the silence. He, too, observed Huang Zhi's womanly figure, starting from her midriff, passing her voluptuous breasts and open cleavage, and finally arriving at her cold face, which returned his icy glare.
He nodded in agreement. "Indeed, a beautiful body. But that's all. Will you hand over the fruit willingly, or do I have to take it from your lifeless body?"
Huang Zhi sneered and laughed mockingly. "You? How do you think you can kill me with your puny skills? Although I don't know how you managed to achieve the golden core stage in your life, your abilities are lacking. Do you really believe you're superior to me just because you recently reached this stage?"
Huang Zhi had already noticed Feng Ning's shortcomings in combat during their exchange of moves. Feng Ning had focused solely on increasing his cultivation level and abandoned martial skills and techniques in order to undergo the body reformation as quickly as possible, avoiding death from old age.
This made him lacking in fighting ability but strong in terms of cultivation level alone.
"So what?" Feng Ning responded, not hiding anything. "You're no different from me. You only recently reached this stage as well. Do you think you're better than me?"
Despite his shortcomings in battle, Feng Ning possessed a deep understanding of the Three Phase Mystical Life. This cultivation technique was truly profound, as cultivating the qi aspect also granted him practical skills.
On the ground, Niu Chang also noticed that Feng Ning's attacks were somewhat lackluster compared to what he had imagined. Instead of turning the heavens and earth upside down or filling the world with seven-colored lights, he only saw dark purple palms flying around, breaking many trees.
"Heh, you'll regret this," Huang Zhi said with a cold smile.
Meanwhile, Niu Chang cheered from the ground, thinking, 'Heh, you'll regret this.'