Chapter 6

Meng Fan's fist clenched slightly, knowing he couldn't avoid it. He raised his head to meet Gu Xiner's eyes and said calmly, "Yes, Xiner has also come out to cultivate. How diligent! I wonder what realm you've reached!"

Hearing this, Gu Xiner blinked her eyes and said softly, "Brother Meng Fan, I have already reached the fifth stage of Body Tempering. How about that, impressive, right?"

Fifth stage of Body Tempering!

Meng Fan nodded, but sighed inwardly. He didn't expect Gu Xiner to have reached the fifth stage of Body Tempering. After all, Gu Xiner usually didn't like cultivating much, while he had been working so hard... Thinking of this, a hint of bitterness crept into Meng Fan's smile, and he said lightly, "Impressive, Xiner is a genius in cultivating Primordial Energy!"

Seeing Meng Fan's bitter smile, Gu Xiner's expression stiffened. She then reacted and immediately grabbed her own clothes, saying softly, "Sorry, Brother Meng Fan, I..."

"It's fine!"

Meng Fan shook his head, wanting to reach out and stroke Gu Xiner's hair as he used to. But at the last moment, he restrained himself and said calmly, "The more powerful Xiner becomes, the happier I am. Don't forget, we grew up together!"

Hearing Meng Fan's words, Gu Xiner nodded, her eyes fixed on Meng Fan. She bit her lip lightly, as if with a hint of resentment, and said, "But, Brother Meng Fan, you haven't come to play with Xiner for two years!"

Meng Fan coughed lightly and quickly said, "I have to cultivate. I don't have Xiner's talent!"

Gu Xiner managed a weak smile and said softly, "Brother Meng Fan is too modest. Xiner also needs to work hard. Father said that talent and spirit medicines are secondary; the most important thing is a heart for martial arts. In this aspect, I still need to learn from Brother Meng Fan and Sister. Sister has already surpassed me by a lot, and the Clan Competition is about to start. I need to come out to cultivate and gather Green Snakes!"

Clan Competition!

Hearing these two words, Meng Fan's whole body trembled. The Clan Competition that Gu Xiner mentioned was an important annual competition in Wuzhen, where all the young people of Wuzhen would participate.

This competition was of great importance to Wuzhen. If one could enter the top twenty, they would receive significant rewards, even rumored to include second-grade spirit medicines.

Calculating with his fingers, Meng Fan knew that the Clan Competition was about a month away. However, for Meng Fan, the top twenty seemed too far away.

With a bitter smile, Meng Fan hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Gathering Green Snakes, are you still cultivating the technique your father gave you?"

"Uh-huh!"

Gu Xiner nodded. Looking at the clear and beautiful girl in front of him, Meng Fan's brows furrowed slightly. Not many people knew this secret, but Meng Fan, who had played with Gu Xiner since childhood, was one of them.

The cultivation technique Gu Xiner was practicing was a partial Primordial Energy technique specially prepared for her by the town chief, Gu Yuan. This Primordial Energy technique was incomplete and had a very mysterious origin. Its rank was unknown, but Gu Yuan had always insisted that Gu Xiner continue to practice it.

Meng Fan couldn't figure out this mysterious technique, but since it was something Gu Yuan had given Gu Xiner, it definitely wasn't ordinary.

The requirements for practicing this technique were very peculiar. The first condition was to absorb energy from the magic cores inside magic beasts. Therefore, over the years, Gu Xiner had been capturing the most basic first-stage magic beasts, Green Snakes.

Scratching his head, Meng Fan suddenly asked, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Although first-stage magic beasts like Green Snakes weren't very dangerous, it was quite a challenge for Gu Xiner. She was extremely kind by nature. While she could easily catch Green Snakes, she sometimes couldn't bear to release them. In the past, Meng Fan had caught Green Snakes for her, but later he had deliberately avoided doing so.

Seeing Meng Fan's teasing, Gu Xiner's face turned red, and she said with a hint of resentment, "Well... even if I can't do it, no one will help me!"

Her tone carried an indescribable grievance, making Meng Fan laugh bitterly. It seemed that his deliberate distance had caused Gu Xiner to harbor some resentment. After a moment of thought, Meng Fan gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it, in ten days. That's when the Green Snakes will be active on the mountain, coming down continuously. Wait for me here at that time, and I'll help you catch some Green Snakes, okay?"

Hearing this, Gu Xiner's eyes lit up with joy, and she asked eagerly, "Really?"

Meng Fan nodded and said lightly, "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Hmph!"

Gu Xiner huffed, looking at Meng Fan and said softly, "Alright, remember your promise. Don't forget it. Here, I'll pay you in advance!"

Payment?

Meng Fan laughed bitterly, looking at Gu Xiner helplessly, not knowing what this little girl was up to. However, Gu Xiner's hand, as white as jade, moved, and she took out something from her chest, handing it to Meng Fan with great solemnity. It was a black scroll, which she placed in Meng Fan's hand without a word.

Gu Xiner's face turned slightly red, and she turned and left, leaving Meng Fan with her graceful silhouette. As she ran away, her lively voice echoed, "Brother Meng Fan, you have to work hard. I heard about your conflict with Lei Tao. That annoying guy is definitely no match for Brother Meng Fan. I believe Brother Meng Fan will shine in the Clan Competition!"

Meng Fan's pupils constricted slightly, looking into the distance. Shine? Now, perhaps only Gu Xiner and his mother still had hope for his mediocre talent in the entire Wuzhen.

Shaking his head, Meng Fan then opened the scroll Gu Xiner had left. When he saw a line of small text on the scroll, his whole body trembled, and his face showed a deep surprise.

For on the scroll, it clearly read: Intermediate-grade Primordial Energy Martial Art, Great Collapse Palm!