Chapter 22: Moon Goddess Realm
"Do you know about the competition among the saints of the Black Moon Church?"
"Of course. Whichever of the four candidate saints completes the trial first will become the saint. I've heard about this for a long time."
"Then do you know what their trial is?"
"This seems to be a secret of the Holy Church. How could I possibly know?"
"I happen to know."
Mu Qingtong sat lazily and spoke leisurely. "The Black Moon Church has an S-rank inherited Spirit Clothe called the 'Moon Goddess Realm.' This is the core Spirit Clothe that every generation of saints must master."
S-rank?! Xia Feng was stunned.
Spirit Clothes were ranked from N, D, C, B, A, to SS. S-rank Spirit Clothes were extremely rare in the entire empire, equivalent to legendary equipment in a game.
"So, you're saying the trial is the Moon Goddess Realm, and whoever masters it first will become the saint?"
"Correct."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"There are two ways to cultivate the Moon Goddess Realm: 'Solitary Moon' and 'Twin Moons.'
Solitary Moon requires the practitioner to have as few emotional bonds as possible before the age of eighteen. This method is easier to practice, but since it's done alone, the resulting domain effect is slightly weaker.
Twin Moons, on the other hand, involves practicing with a partner, regardless of gender. Since two people can create a wider particle structure, the domain effect is stronger. However, the difficulty of learning is twice that of Solitary Moon."
"..."
Xia Feng covered his forehead and raised his hand. "Wait, let me sort this out."
Twin Moons—practicing with a lover in the Moon Goddess Realm. Essentially, dual cultivation.
The key was Solitary Moon. The fewer emotional bonds before the age of eighteen, the easier it is to practice. But Cha Naxue's parents are dead, her brother died in a car accident, and now the only bond left is... me?
"Six. I get it. There are actually such outrageous training conditions?" Xia Feng held his forehead, speechless, and looked up. "So, Yan Xujia's goal is to help Cha Naxue reduce her bonds?"
"That's half right."
"Huh?"
Xia Feng was puzzled. "Are there other reasons?"
Mu Qingtong smiled slightly. "Yan Xujia once offered his knight's heart to Cha Naxue, but she rejected him."
"What does that mean?"
"The Guardian Knight's offering of his heart represents his desire to become his master's lover. Unfortunately, Cha Naxue ruthlessly rejected him and even nearly dismissed Yan Xujia from his position, if not for his mother's plea."
"Okay, okay, I get it. This is an unexpected disaster."
Xia Feng leaned back in his chair and sighed. "This is really a bummer. I'll have to be careful with Yan Xujia from now on."
"Alright, since I've told you so many secrets, it's your turn to speak," Mu Qingtong said calmly.
"?"
Xia Feng looked up in astonishment. "Didn't you tell me these things for free?"
The woman in the black dress sat upright and smiled. "When did I ever say the word 'free'?"
Okay, okay, not saying 'free' means it's paid, right? You're something else.
Xia Feng was too lazy to argue. After thinking for a moment, he smiled mysteriously. "How about this? Although I won't trade secrets with you, I can give you a rare Spirit Clothe."
Spirit Clothe? Mu Qingtong frowned slightly and shook her head. "I don't need Spirit Clothes. I just want to know your secret—"
Before she could finish, a piece of golden spiritual paper suddenly appeared in front of her. Densely packed spiritual nodes flooded into her pale golden eyes like a child finding its mother.
"Heh~ You don't want it? You'll have to take it!" Xia Feng's low laugh rang softly beside her ear. Her pupils shrank, and she quickly turned her face away.
[You have gained a preliminary understanding of the spiritual substructure of the C-rank Spirit Clothe "Three Tails"—5%]
[You have gained a basic understanding of the spiritual substructure of the B-rank Spirit Clothe "Six Tails"—1%]
The knowledge was thrust into her head in a mean and violent way.
"You—take it away!"
Seeing Mu Qingtong close her eyes, Xia Feng reluctantly withdrew his hand. "Okay, okay, I won't force you anymore."
Sensing the spiritual paper had left, Mu Qingtong turned back and glared at Xia Feng, only to see his eyes covered by a piece of golden spiritual paper, the corners of his lips curled up strangely. "Ms. Mu, can you see clearly~"
[You have completely memorized the spiritual substructure diagram of the B-rank Spirit Clothe "Six Tails."]
Mu Qingtong: "..."
As expected, even without the Six-Tails Flame to assist her learning, this World-Destroying Witch could easily analyze the Six-Tails! In the entire history of spiritualists, had there ever been such a perverted genius? At least not in the history of the Six-Tails Society. No one could understand the Six-Tails structure diagram without the Six-Tails Flame.
Seeing this, Xia Feng slowly put down the spiritual paper and smiled at the woman in the black dress. "It's fair to exchange this rare Spirit Clothe for a secret."
"It's not fair," Mu Qingtong shook her head.
Xia Feng was stunned.
Mu Qingtong pursed her lips and frowned slightly. "What you showed me is the inherited Spirit Clothe of your Six-Tails Society, right?"
She was puzzled. "Before, you showed me One Tail, and now you're showing me a rare Spirit Clothe like Six Tails that can grow? This is much more valuable than a secret. It's not fair to you."
"You're right, but what does it matter?" Xia Feng said with a smile. "It makes you remember something. Didn't you say you're not a genius at all? I can't understand it at all, let alone remember it."
"..."
Mu Qingtong choked, pursed her lips, and said nothing. She felt a little complicated.
Even though the Black Moon Church had an S-rank Spirit Clothe, in the entire District 51, only a few forces possessed B-rank Spirit Clothes. Each B-rank Spirit Clothe was an heirloom of a medium or large force. Which fool would take it out and show it to outsiders for no reason?
But she had met that fool today.
But this was normal for Xia Feng. Like her, he longed for the emergence of another peerless genius—to compete, to crush the other party!
This was a duel between the arrogant.
The competition was about who was more talented, not who had more resources.
That was why Xia Feng was willing to selflessly give up the rare Spirit Clothe. Only she could understand the mindset of such a proud person. Mu Qingtong stared at the black-haired boy in front of her seriously.
"Okay, I accept this deal."
"But Six Tails is indeed too valuable. To be fair, you can take something of equal value from me."
Xia Feng hadn't expected Mu Qingtong to be so principled.
"Then I want the Infinite Stone."
He was too lazy to hide his true purpose and spoke directly.
"What do you want this contraband for?" Mu Qingtong sat up slightly, asking in confusion.
"Then just forget it. It's just one sentence. Will you give it to me or not?"
Mu Qingtong tapped the table lightly with her slender fingertips. After closing her eyes and thinking for a moment, she took out a piece of spiritual paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
"This is a Spirit Clothe I picked up by chance. I call it the 'Bronze Mask.' Although it's only N-rank, it has high structural expandability and can be upgraded to C-rank. And I'll add two grams of Infinite Stone. How about that?"
"..."
To be honest, Xia Feng didn't really need the Bronze Mask, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't a bad idea. At least he could use this Spirit Clothe in front of Mu Qingtong in the future.
"What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied?" Mu Qingtong asked, puzzled.
"Satisfied, how could I not be satisfied? I'm very satisfied!" Xia Feng grinned and tucked the spiritual paper into his pocket.
"Where are the two Infinite Stones?"
"I can't carry this kind of contraband with me," Mu Qingtong said calmly. "Meet on the rooftop of Building 3 at 7 PM tomorrow for the exchange. Remember not to be followed."
Xia Feng nodded and stood up without staying longer. "Then it's settled. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
However, as he was halfway out, he saw a flyer scattered on the ground, with the words "Imperial Spiritual Song Contest" written in flowing red font.
Spiritual Song Contest?
(End of Chapter)