To my dismay, one dropped off right in the middle of the explosion... I drifted off to sleep dreaming happily, and woke up to find I’d lost one. ... What a blow... Brothers and sisters, cheer me on and help push this up! I’m begging for monthly passes for support, thank you. &g; Because Dugu Xiaoyi had once heard someone say that if a man and a woman had already ‘cooked the rice’ (i.e., consummated their relationship), they should never be separated again; at least, the man would have to take responsibility for that woman.

Of course, exactly how one cooks rice into a finished dish was something Dugu Xiaoyi genuinely did not know.

As for what effect it would ultimately produce, Dugu Xiaoyi was even more completely clueless. The only thing she knew was that this item was a necessary tool for 'cooking the rice,' which was why she had orchestrated such a grand drama today...

“Brother Mo Xie is mine, mine alone, hmph hmph...” Dugu Xiaoyi opened her trunk, rummaging through her clothes, trying them on one by one. She seemed to be contemplating which outfit would most effectively transform Jun Mo Xie—this pot of raw rice—into a fragrant, perfectly cooked meal—r—r—r— At this moment, Young Master Jun, who was delightedly inside the Hongjun Tower, had no idea that a certain little demoness was regarding him as a pot of raw rice, and was already sharpening her claws, preparing to cook him...

If he knew, perhaps he wouldn't have needed Dugu Xiaoyi to go to the trouble of 'cooking' him; he would have cooperated fully and ‘been cooked’ willingly. There would have been no need for such an aggressive approach; a soft landing would surely have sufficed...

Dugu Xiaoyi was humming a little tune while searching for clothes when suddenly the curtain behind her was lifted, and a faint, elegant fragrance wafted in—it was Guan Qinghan.

It turned out the head of the household guards had gone to find Guan Qinghan. Naturally, he dared not mention the actual situation, only stammering vaguely that their young mistress had been somewhat unusual these past few days, and that her mood was quite off; he and the other guards were worried something might happen, adding that this was some kind of old recurring ailment, and so on...

The more he stammered, the more worried Guan Qinghan became, genuinely fearing Dugu Xiaoyi had some strange, chronic illness. After finally hearing him finish, she rushed over in concern.

“Little Sister Xiaoyi, what is wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Tell your big sister quickly!” Guan Qinghan asked worriedly as soon as she entered the room.

The sudden question startled Dugu Xiaoyi, who was still immersed in her daydream. She cried out with a sharp "Ah!" turned around, and looked flustered, “Big Sister Guan, why are you here? Do you want that medicine too?”

“Medicine? Me? I’m not sick, why would I want that thing?” Guan Qinghan instantly concluded that Dugu Xiaoyi must truly be suffering from some illness, otherwise why would she mention medicine? And why would she suggest her take it too?

“Oh...” Dugu Xiaoyi immediately let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest in fright, still shaky. “I thought you came to fight me for the cooking... So you didn’t. That’s a relief, thank goodness it’s not that.”

“Cooking? What cooking?” Guan Qinghan exclaimed in surprise, her worried expression deepening. She reached out a hand, intending to feel Xiaoyi’s forehead: “Little Sister Xiaoyi, what is wrong with you? Why are you speaking so... incoherently today?”

Yes, she asked me if I wanted medicine just now, and now she says I’m fighting her over cooking! This is a military camp; why would the two of us need to cook? Besides... could Dugu Xiaoyi even cook? What nonsense is this?

“I’m fine, hehehe, really fine, nothing is wrong, ha, ha, ha...” Dugu Xiaoyi let out a few dry laughs, looking somewhat flustered. Guiltily, she touched the small cloth bundle tucked into the front of her garment, feeling slightly steadier inside. She looked up and stealthily glanced at Guan Qinghan, murmuring, “Right, Big Sister Guan, has he... has he come back?”

“Not yet...” Guan Qinghan’s face showed a worried look, yet she comforted her, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. He’s extraordinarily capable and has so many tricks; what could possibly happen to him? He’ll probably be back in a little while.”

Dugu Xiaoyi chuckled twice, reassured, “Exactly, this fellow is immensely powerful; nothing will happen to him for sure. Hmm, I’m waiting for him to come back for something.”

“You’re waiting for him to come back? What do you need him for?” Guan Qinghan thought to herself, Could Xiaoyi be so worried about Mo Xie that she’s lost her mind? The more she considered it, the more likely it seemed, and her anxiety grew.

“I’m waiting for him to come back to cook... Hahaha... ugh.” Dugu Xiaoyi nearly let the secret slip, quickly adding, “I’ll go out and check. Why hasn’t Little White returned yet? I haven’t seen that little darling in days; I really miss him.”

Her face bright red, she lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her garment, and nervously hurried out. As she walked, she scolded herself: Dugu Xiaoyi, Dugu Xiaoyi, how can you be so impatient? If the plan is exposed, and Big Sister Guan discovers something and strikes first... what then?

Guan Qinghan secretly made up her mind: It seems Xiaoyi truly has a problem. Otherwise, she wouldn't be acting this way, speaking nonsensically and behaving abnormally. I must watch her closely and never leave her side. She followed Dugu Xiaoyi out.

The Young Master finished his session and emerged from the Hongjun Tower around noon on the third day!

On the short journey back to Tiannan City, he continuously pondered the newly acquired Gold and Wood powers. They might be incredibly miraculous, but sadly, he had absolutely no idea how to use them yet.

Did “‘Transforming common iron into rare metal, severing all things into nothingness’” mean that as long as he activated this mysterious power, he could instantly turn ordinary iron into divine weaponry? Was that the only way to ‘sever all things into nothingness’?

But thinking that way, Jun Mo Xie inwardly cursed himself: Damn it, is there such a good thing in the world? That would be turning stone into gold! No, it’s far more perverse than turning stone into gold; that would be the legendary magic of the immortals...

Poor Young Master Jun, even now he didn’t know that all the cultivation methods he was currently practicing were genuine immortal arts, and moreover, they were the highest, most ultimate super {7...'.' For such a person to have cultivated so smoothly to this day was truly an unprecedented anomaly in history.

And for his cultivation speed to be so fast was an even greater mystery that would baffle anyone who tried to figure it out...

Jun Mo Xie checked the time and realized he hadn't shown his face for two full days. Third Uncle must be getting anxious. Or perhaps Third Uncle would be slightly calmer, since he knew his capabilities, but his three elder uncles might be frantic. Therefore, he dared not delay any further. He headed straight back. As soon as he entered Tiannan City, he ran straight into Dongfang Wenjian, who proceeded to lecture him soundly before escorting him into Jun Wuyi’s military tent.

The news of Jun Mo Xie’s return immediately reached Guan Qinghan and Dugu Xiaoyi. Guan Qinghan finally breathed a sigh of relief, a faint joy rising in her heart; while Dugu Xiaoyi’s face suddenly flushed for no discernible reason, her little heart hammering wildly, taking a long time to settle. No one knew what the little girl was plotting...

Having barely weathered Jun Wuyi’s barrage of severe reprimands, Young Master Jun, whose face was thicker than the corner of a city wall, merely offered a carefree, half-hearted laugh and scurried out, fleeing all the way back to his own tent.

Seated on his chair, Jun Mo Xie thought about his newly acquired abilities. Finally, he reached out and took down an ordinary steel saber hanging in the tent, holding it in his hand, eager to test the magical power he had acquired.

Gazing intently at the saber, Jun Mo Xie took a deep breath, closed his eyes slightly, and willed his intention. The ‘Gold Power’ inside his body instantly activated—flowing through his meridians, circulating to his palm, and then slowly transmitting through his fingers to the gleaming steel saber in his hand...

In an instant, a marvelous transformation occurred!

A faint, pale golden light flickered, as if the blade of the saber reflected the entire starry sky, radiating an ethereal radiance. Suddenly, the light flashed brightly once, then vanished without a trace. A wisp of faint blue smoke appeared and dissipated quickly. Jun Mo Xie opened his eyes and looked at his hand, utterly dumbfounded!

Good heavens!

The half-man-long saber in his hand was nowhere to be seen! What existed in his hand now was merely a tiny, miniature “saber,” the size of a toothpick...

Or perhaps, it couldn't even be called a "saber" anymore; it should be called a "needle," merely a slightly blunted one. However, it was sixty times heavier than an ordinary needle!

And this needle clearly retained the shape of a saber—exactly the shape Jun Mo Xie had envisioned in his mind; the shape of the saber he had thought of when activating this power was precisely this tiny ‘saber’ before him...

The only difference was that it had shrunk thousands of times!

That’s all!

Jun Mo Xie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Yes, after testing it, he understood that the phrase ‘Transforming common iron into rare metal’ was actually true, and this cultivation method did possess such heaven-defying abilities! But it didn't mean the entire piece of iron could become rare metal without any change in weight; rather, it meant the iron was subjected to the highest intensity, extreme compression, extracting and preserving only the purest essence to form the exact shape he desired!

Then, what about the rest of the material? Where did it go? Did it simply evaporate?

Jun Mo Xie was puzzled. He went out and fetched another saber, reactivated the divine art, and focused intently on watching the transformation process. Only then did he see clearly.

It turned out his guess was correct—it genuinely evaporated...

He watched as the faint golden specks flickered, followed by a blinding flash of light that immediately disappeared. Along with this light, a faint smoke rose from the saber’s surface, emitting a strange odor that made one want to vomit. As this smoke ascended, the saber in his hand vanished, turning back into that tiny, toothpick-like, extremely miniature “saber”!

Jun Mo Xie smiled bitterly. With this effect, to forge a saber of the same length and thickness as the two he had just melted down, he would probably need a small mountain of refined iron!

And this tiny, toothpick-like object weighed almost two liang (ounces). If he used this material to form a saber of that size, wouldn't it weigh nearly a hundred jin (pounds)? It truly was a divine weapon in the truest sense, but who could wield a weapon weighing that much?

Jun Mo Xie relaxed his grip, and the two tiny "toothpick sabers" slipped through his fingers. With two soft "hissing" sounds, an unbelievable sight unfolded before him: the willow wood table in front of Jun Mo Xie was pierced straight through with two small holes. The two "toothpick sabers," having easily penetrated the wood, didn't slow down; with two swoosh sounds, they drilled directly into the ground, truly piercing through without resistance!

【Note to dear readers: The current chapter has reached the final page of this book】