Chapter 37

Jiang Feng's mood was quite good.

In fact, after killing the earth dragon, he was a bit more dangerous than before.

His Ming power was almost depleted, and he didn't even have the strength to stand up and take a few steps, let alone defend or counterattack.

Ping Luan Shan was also quite drained, but he still had some strength left.

Last time, a sixth-level shadow lizard was enough to make Li Feng and the young men of the Jiang family want to kill and rob. Now, there was a third-level earth dragon dead right next to them!

If Ping Luan Shan had any evil intentions, Jiang Feng would certainly be in grave danger.

However, just like how Ping Luan Shan insisted on holding back the earth dragon to let Jiang Feng escape smoothly, this person was indeed quite good!

Jiang Feng took the gourd, pulled out the stopper, and took a sip.

A warm current flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, and he also let go of the thin thread of golden blood qi that was protecting his heart, allowing it to move freely in his blood vessels.

Jiang Feng praised, "Good wine!"

Ping Luan Shan said proudly, "Of course, I brewed it myself! Believe it or not, even if I didn't become a martial cultivator, I could still make a fortune by selling wine!"

Jiang Feng smiled but didn't say anything.

Ping Luan Shan didn't touch the earth dragon but plopped down beside Jiang Feng.

He looked at the white clouds drifting in the sky, drank two sips of wine in silence, and suddenly said, "I was quite confident before, but after today, I'm a bit worried."

Jiang Feng asked casually, "Worried about what?"

Ping Luan Shan said, "The Tianzhao preliminary exam is in a few days. I thought, with my abilities, dealing with the Ming beasts in the human exam wouldn't be a problem, but now..." He spread his hands and threw a handful of soil, "I'm still too weak!"

Jiang Feng's expression became a bit strange: "Tianzhao preliminary exam?" He turned his head and asked Ping Luan Shan, "How old are you this year?"

The Tianzhao preliminary exam is usually taken shortly after advancing to the Dawn realm, and the age of the martial cultivators taking it is generally not too old.

Ping Luan Shan touched the beard on his face: "I fused with the four-ring Ming heart seed two years ago, and I'm eighteen this year."

Advancing to the four-ring Ming heart seed in two years was already quite good. Jiang Feng's expression became even stranger: "Eighteen? I thought you were forty-eight..."

Ping Luan Shan spat: "If I shaved this beard, I'd be a handsome young man too!"

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "In four days, it will be the Tianzhao preliminary exam, right? You handled that eagle-headed lion so easily just now. The Ming beasts in the human exam are only first-level, so there shouldn't be any problems if there are no unexpected events."

Ping Luan Shan rubbed his nose, did a somersault to stand up, and huffed, "What do you mean 'if there are no unexpected events'? I definitely won't have any problems!" He shouted to the sky, "Old man, watch me, I'll definitely pass the big exam before I turn twenty!"

He patted Jiang Feng, "Come on, let's deal with that big guy!"

Ping Luan Shan took out a long, narrow knife, ran his finger over it, and a faint golden light flashed. He reached out and sliced, and the earth dragon's skin immediately split open, creating a large gash.

Jiang Feng asked in surprise, "With such a convenient weapon, why didn't you use it just now?"

Ping Luan Shan shook his head, "This is what my master left me. It's a treasure weapon, and it must be driven by Ming power. But I don't have the matching martial technique, so I can only use it to cut things, not in actual combat."

As he skillfully dissected the earth dragon, he explained to Jiang Feng.

After advancing to the Dawn realm, one can use treasure weapons. Treasure weapons are usually made from materials of strange beasts, using unique methods, and require Ming power to function properly.

Among treasure weapons, armor and equipment are easier to use, but weapons must be paired with corresponding Ming power martial techniques.

How to circulate Ming power during combat, how to burst, and how to sustain long-term combat... all of these have their own intricacies.

When Ping Luan Shan's master was dying, he hadn't yet advanced to the Dawn realm. The old man left him this scallion leaf tooth knife and made him memorize the matching martial technique word by word.

Ming power martial techniques are written in obscure language and are very difficult to understand. Ping Luan Shan studied for a long time and could only勉强 use the tooth knife, but he couldn't use it in battle at all.

Ping Luan Shan performed a knife flourish, and the golden light of the tooth knife formed a beautiful pattern in the air. He shook his head and sighed, "If I use it in battle now, I'll definitely run out of all my Ming power in ten seconds. Hey, if I could use it freely, I wouldn't be afraid of any preliminary exam!"

He suddenly looked at Jiang Feng and said, "The move you used to kill the earth dragon just now, was that a Ming power martial technique? It's a good technique, with strong explosive power. When you advance, you can get a treasure weapon like a glove and use it with your technique, and you'll definitely become even stronger!"

Ping Luan Shan might have been bored most of the time, and now he chattered on, saying a lot to Jiang Feng.

By the time they finished dissecting the earth dragon, Jiang Feng almost knew everything about Ping Luan Shan, including his ancestors.

He was raised by his master from a young age and had no other relatives. He and the old man lived alone in Chuanshi Town on the other side of Taowu Mountain, depending on each other.

When he was seventeen, the old man died of a sudden illness. After that, Ping Luan Shan practiced alone, preparing to take the big exam when the time came.

"The old man was in the Demon Suppression Army when he was young. He always talked about how he used to kill enemies and suppress demons. Hey, I've decided that when I pass the big exam, I'll apply to the Western King Military Academy! I'll join the Demon Suppression Army from the Western King Military Academy and cut off a demon's head, and then I'll show off to the old man!"

Ping Luan Shan laughed, his eyes shining.

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "Guzhu, Beihu, Xiwang, and Rixia, Xiwang is one of the four great academies. If you want to enter Xiwang, you must pass the academy exam!"

Ping Luan Shan laughed, "Just an academy exam!"

Although he said that, he knew how difficult it was to enter the four great academies. He said sheepishly, "If I can't enter Xiwang, I can enter the Zhen Shi Academy. After graduating from Zhen Shi, I can still join the Demon Suppression Army, just not the main branch..."

He cut open the earth dragon's huge heart, dug out the yellowish earth core inside, and threw it to Jiang Feng: "Anyway, let's pass the preliminary exam first! The earth dragon is what you killed, so this is for you!"

Jiang Feng didn't hesitate and put away the core: "The earth dragon swallowed the eagle-headed lion just now, so it probably hasn't digested it yet. We can look for it."

Not long after, Ping Luan Shan indeed found another green core.

He put the core in a leather bag and looked at the sky. He shook the wine gourd and handed it to Jiang Feng: "I'm very happy to meet you today. I hope we can meet again in the future."

Jiang Feng took the gourd and said seriously, "Yes, I'm also very happy to meet you."

He tilted his head back, and a line of fire passed through his throat, warming his entire body. He returned the gourd to Ping Luan Shan and smiled, "I hope we can drink your good wine again next time we meet!"

Ping Luan Shan finished the last bit of wine in the gourd and shook his head, "Wine without meat, a bit unsatisfactory!"

He threw the gourd behind him, tapped his foot on the ground, and a green shadow darted through the grass, disappearing in a few moments.

Jiang Feng watched his back, and perhaps because the wine hadn't worn off, he still felt warm inside.

...

...

At the foot of Xiangbi Mountain, except for the eagle-headed lion, the other Ming beasts were a bit low in level for Ping Luan Shan, but just right for Jiang Feng.

He was able to kill the earth dragon just now mainly because Ping Luan Shan was there to delay it, allowing him to gather enough data. If he had to do it alone, he wouldn't have been able to handle it.

However, the earth dragon is a very territorial creature. If there is one in an area, there won't be a second one nearby.

Jiang Feng circled around and found some seventh-level horned porcupines on the other side of Xiangbi Mountain. This was his true goal for coming here today.

After recovering his Ming power, the sound of thunder rumbled on the grassland, and one porcupine after another fell.

During the recovery period, Jiang Feng thought about Ping Luan Shan again. To be precise, he remembered the last half-month market.

At the last half-month market, he overheard a few people discussing the Tianzhao preliminary exam.

Among them, a few had taken the preliminary exam last year. They passed the heaven exam but unexpectedly failed the human exam.

They all felt that the result was not right.

Of course, it was possible that they had overestimated themselves and made a judgment error, but it was also possible that something was wrong with the preliminary exam...

A faint unease crept into Jiang Feng's heart.

When the sun set, Jiang Feng returned to the nameless small valley.

Zhong Fan saw him return and looked up with a smile, "Come, try this!"

Rabbit Night Snack was squatting beside him, munching on something.

On the plate were a few pieces of dried meat, about the size of a finger, golden and inviting.

The dried meat was tender and very delicious. As soon as he swallowed it, Jiang Feng felt a slight warmth in his stomach, and then a surge of Ming power exploded like fireworks, quickly spreading throughout his body.

The power surged under his skin, and Jiang Feng walked to a stone and punched it hard!

He didn't use the Thunder Palm, but he still felt a surge of power along his muscles, and with a "bang," a crack appeared on the stone surface, quickly expanding.

Jiang Feng had been collecting data for a long time and knew his strength well. New data flooded his mind, and he quickly made a judgment.

Zhong Fan raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

Jiang Feng praised, "Very good! My strength has increased by at least thirty percent!"

This was the best result Zhong Fan had achieved after so much experimentation. The young man smiled, "Yes, the effect can last for five minutes. And this time, I made it into dried meat, which has a long shelf life and can be carried around."

Jiang Feng's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood the implications.

This meant that as long as he brought enough dried meat, it would be like permanently increasing his combat power!

Jiang Feng smiled and praised, "Very good, with this skill alone, you can support yourself for life."

Zhong Fan laughed at this. Support himself? To be honest, he had never thought about it since he was born.

However, he was also very satisfied with the effect of the dried meat: "This way, your chances of passing the big exam will increase!"

Jiang Feng was taken aback and shook his head, "No, I won't use it for the big exam!"