Demon Taming: Start by synthesizing a Lantern Ghost with Divine and Demonic Talents

Chapter 121: Being handsome is a lifelong thing

is the day.

A dragon boat-shaped spaceship flew over the academy.

The dragon boat is adorned with pavilions, carved beams and painted rafters, and exquisite beauty. Runes shimmer and dragon heads are held high, every detail exuding refinement. Even just looking at this enormous dragon boat inspires a strong longing for the supreme path of immortality.

The team members, heading to the finals, strode confidently onto the dragon boat amidst the envious gazes of the other students.

Li Chunfeng still wore a mask and a simple black robe. Despite his unassuming and plain appearance, he was impossible to ignore.

Since gaining increasing fame, his 'psychic invisibility' has faced its greatest challenge. Within the academy, it is essentially ineffective no matter where he goes. Therefore, Li Chunfeng tries to wear a mask whenever possible in public.

Zhou Si was also among the crowd seeing him off in the same teaching building. When she saw Li Chunfeng's unconventional act of wearing a mask, she suddenly understood his actions.

Perhaps Li Chunfeng originally wanted to be a recluse, but he became so famous that he had no choice but to hide his face with a mask.

By removing the mask, one can still walk around like an ordinary person without worrying about being discovered by demon spies.

Did he think of this before he became famous?
It was truly a far-sighted plan.

She had mixed feelings: "That naive boy who used to practice boxing with me so diligently for so many days has completely grown up, and has even surpassed me!"

As Li Chunfeng was climbing the stairs, he seemed to sense something and suddenly turned back to look at the pavilion.

His expression was obscured by the mask.

Zhou Si's heart skipped a beat, and she almost avoided his gaze. What... what was he looking at?

Li Chunfeng smiled, then turned and stepped into the ship.

This trip included the five members of Li Chunfeng's team, plus Shen Zhibai, the only one to make it into the top ten, who boarded the dragon boat under the personal guidance of the Dean.

Under the cover of the array formation inside the boat, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth converges, and together with the exquisite and beautiful ancient architecture, it creates a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Immediately, the sails of the Xun wind rose, the thunderous pool roared, and the dragon boat took off, floating into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Entering the inner room, the dragon boat space was vast, much larger than it appeared from the outside. Clearly, a spatial magic array had been used to expand the space. Through the Chinese-style doorways and windows in the walls, a magnificent view came into view. Outside the windows, white clouds drifted by, and the massive boundary city below sped away.

The finals of the "Mountains and Seas" tournament were held at the Kunlun Academy.

The dragon boat did not immediately head to Kunlun Academy. It needed to go to other academies to pick up the other nine top ten contestants on the Qingyun Ranking from the Shanhaibu Prefecture before it could fly directly to Kunlun.

Fortunately, the dragon boat was very fast, and in just one day it had traveled to various places and gathered all the outstanding students from academies all over the country.

After several days apart, everyone reunited, less hostile and more easygoing. At least on the surface, things were harmonious again, since there were no conflicts of interest this time, and everyone was united against a common enemy.

As always, Yu Shishi was poised and generous, greeting everyone with a smile as soon as she arrived. "Li Chunfeng, I heard that you were the first to be attacked, and a demon lord personally launched a surprise attack, even destroying your flying boat and causing many deaths and injuries. Are you all alright?"

"It's alright, how about you?"

Hu Yifei, Chen Lingsu, and the others glanced at Li Chunfeng but did not reveal the truth.

Yu Shishi said, "After you were attacked, other teams returning to the city gradually increased their escort. Although they also encountered attacks from the demon race, thanks to prior precautions, they escaped unscathed and the demon race did not succeed."

Huang Tianhe, as a student of Buzhou Academy, could barely be considered a host, and was the only one who hadn't been attacked. This incident had become too big a fuss, and even the host had lost face. "It's good that everyone is alright. This must have been a premeditated ambush. My third, sixth, and seventh uncles all participated in the Battle of Shanhai Pass and sacrificed their lives for the country. Sooner or later, I will lead a large army to invade the Demon Realm and avenge this blood feud."

Everyone is at the most passionate age, and it's inevitable that they are full of hope for the future, leading to their indignation and condemnation.

It was a rare occasion for everyone to gather together, and since there were few conflicts of interest, the atmosphere was relatively harmonious. So they discussed the path of cultivation, the dangers of the Abyss, and the evils of the demon race.

They started chatting animatedly, and some of them, who had already received invitations to the Taoist academy, began discussing which majors they wanted to join in the future.

Before long, the conversation turned to the strong rivals of other states, and the topics kept coming.

Li Chunfeng simply listened and rarely expressed his own opinion.

Hu Yifei, Xia Xing, and the others listened very attentively.

Many of these prodigies came from families with a long tradition of learning, and from a young age they were exposed to a wealth of knowledge and experience. Li Chunfeng also heard many secrets from them.

So this is how top-tier powers operate!
They can actually contract out the business of creating small worlds, allowing countless cultivators and martial artists to enter and explore. They only collect taxes and sell tickets. Some powerful individuals can even explore the void to find new landmarks for small worlds. Once they make a discovery, they might explore alone or even launch a war to create one.

"Wow, is this some kind of 'I Have a Cultivation World' game?"

"We're not afraid of encountering the Dark Forest Law!"

There is also the secret of the Azure Cloud Ranking. The reason why the Azure Cloud Ranking competition in the Earthly Realm has been held year after year is because it involves a struggle for destiny.

Although the concept of destiny is vague and ethereal, it's no secret to powerful families and organizations. If you can fight for it, you must; if you succeed, you'll benefit immensely for life.

Luck may not bring you obvious benefits in your daily practice, but it may provide a little inspiration when you encounter a bottleneck, which is an immeasurable help.

Previously, fate had little to do with Li Chunfeng. Now that he has a need for it, he cannot afford to miss it.

Huang Tianhe said, "The Azure Cloud Ranking Tournament is a competition established by the Celestial Court to select outstanding disciples for further training. Regardless of the generous rewards, no one would give way just for the chance to win. The continuous battles are just as challenging as the Sword Tournament in Yuan City. The final winner must not only have outstanding strength, but also sufficient perseverance, extraordinary willpower, and intelligent wisdom. Most importantly, they must make up for their weaknesses to prevent their opponents from targeting them. Most of us are in our last year. Only Brother Feng Yan will have a chance to fight again next year. With your strength, if you take another year to hone your skills, you might be able to reach the top of the Azure Cloud Ranking."

Feng Yan ranked tenth in this Qingyun Ranking individual competition and is also the youngest contestant among them.

He awakened his spiritual awareness at the age of twelve, and is only thirteen now.

The academy's system is a seven-year program, and he is only in the fifth grade. According to the rules, he still needs to study for two more years before graduating from the academy. Feng Yan, who had been relatively quiet, was slightly taken aback when he heard his name called. "Brother Huang, you flatter me. I'm afraid I won't wait until next year. I've already registered for this year's major examination. Participating in the Qingyun Ranking once is enough. I won't deliberately waste my time for that ranking."

Huang Tianhe cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I was presumptuous. With such achievements this year, it would indeed be a waste of time to keep you in the academy."

This is a true child prodigy! What were other kids doing when they were twelve or thirteen?
What if someone doesn't awaken their spiritual awareness until their sixteenth birthday is approaching?
Feng Yan suddenly asked Li Chunfeng, "Brother Li, your spiritual power has been fluctuating violently. Are you practicing some kind of visualization meditation?"

"Ok?"

Everyone was taken aback when they heard the words.

Visualization and cultivation for spiritual cultivators are very dangerous and require a quiet environment, unlike some martial arts techniques where sitting, lying down, standing, or walking are all forms of cultivation.

Li Chunfeng was actually in a state of cultivation while chatting with them?
How can this be?

Li Chunfeng was also somewhat surprised. "You could say this is cultivation. How did you manage to sense my spiritual fluctuations?"

Within his inner world, thunder and lightning constantly roared, and the journey of soul fusion was underway at all times.

Not only does the Mosquito Taoist want to merge with a soul, but there are also 600 million Lantern Ghosts queuing up.

This task will likely take a month to complete.

He was getting used to his daily life and was also developing his supernatural abilities, but he didn't expect that someone would discover his abnormal soul fluctuations.

When he admitted it, everyone was even more surprised.

Good grief, everyone else is resting, and you're still cultivating. Is it really necessary to be so indecisive? I felt a sense of unease and wanted to end the conversation immediately and go back to cultivate properly.

Feng Yan has a youthful appearance, yet he possesses a maturity beyond his years. He said, "My divine aperture is quite special, and I have particular expertise in sensing the power of the soul."

"I see."

As if pondering something, Li Chunfeng unconsciously rubbed his chin and nose with his left hand and said, "I have a favor to ask. I wonder if any of you could summon your demonic pets for me to see? I would like to make a deal with some of you."

As he spoke, he tossed several Soul-Fighting Martial Arts Seed Cores onto the table.

Everyone was somewhat surprised.

Yu Shishi picked up a demon core and used her special eye technique to examine it. "It's just basic runes. It doesn't seem to be as simple as a spell?"

Li Chunfeng said, "This magic seed is called Battle Soul Martial Arts. I obtained it from the Abyss Tribulation. There is only one of its kind in the entire Earthly Realm. Although it is only a basic human-level rune, it is a technique for cultivating both soul and body, and it has a significant power boost to any martial arts combat method. Hu Yifei can testify to this!"

Hu Yifei was taken aback, then nodded. "I can testify that this spell belongs to the Soul Martial Arts combat method, which combines soul and martial arts, and its effects are extraordinary. We are about to have the final battle. At this time, if we improve our strength even by one point, our ranking in the competition may rise by several places."

Some people took action, but they remained noncommittal about his testimony, since everyone knew that Hu was Li Chunfeng's roommate.

Li Chunfeng smiled and said, "Once you cultivate this spell to the next level, as long as you reach the Xuan rank, its power to martial arts combat techniques will double. Moreover, whether it's a Human rank or a Xuan rank battle spirit exercise, it will only take effect passively."

As he spoke, he activated the shadow of the Bull Demon's bloodline, and instantly the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged, and the phantom of an ancient Bull Demon appeared behind him.

Everyone is familiar with the "Bull Demon Mighty Fist," and there are a few people who can activate the shadow of qi and blood. But the Bull Demon Mighty Fist is a pure martial arts fist technique. How can it mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one's own use? Moreover, Li Chunfeng's Bull Demon phantom is obviously much stronger than a normal shadow of qi and blood.

"He's so handsome!" Feng Yan's observation was rather novel.

Li Chunfeng gave him a thumbs up, "Insightful. Power is secondary; being handsome is a lifelong pursuit."

Then, he reached out and made a gesture in the air.

A unique golden rune, shaped like an infant, appeared out of thin air, unlike any other rune of magic.

The people in the room were immediately moved when they saw the runes with such a design.

The runes are completely different from those in the Earthly Realm, so they undoubtedly come from another world. Even just studying such runes is very valuable.

"This is a minor matter, of course it's no problem."

Huang Tianhe's fighting style relies heavily on martial arts techniques. Faced with such a martial arts technique seed that combines soul and martial arts, he was already tempted and immediately agreed, summoning his Earth War Bear first.

The dragon boat was big enough that even though the bear was quite large, it didn't take up much space in the hall.

"Whether it's a legal or illegal seed doesn't matter; I like to help others achieve their goals." Yu Shishi smiled and summoned her Stormy Pearl Dragon.

Since the two strongest players had already spoken, everyone else didn't care and summoned their own signature monsters.

Even Chen Lingsu and Jiang Lele sincerely summoned their natal demon pets, which they had only contracted a few days ago, hoping to help Li Chunfeng.

Their demon pets were selected from the demon pet library of the various Xia states.

Chen Lingsu has struck gold; her demon pet is a rare wood spirit named Soul Refining Vine, which perfectly matches her wood element.

The green vines are adorned with fiery red veins resembling lava, and the leaves are a striking mix of red and green, imbued with powerful divine energy. Its roots can also refine ghostly spirits and generate divine energy. Once the Soul Refining Vine matures, each leaf becomes a divine energy elixir, capable of enhancing a cultivator's divine energy power upon consumption—a truly rare and precious commodity.

Jiang Lele's demon pet is an ice demon with a high-grade yellow-rank bloodline talent and average luck. However, ice-attribute demon pets provide an excellent boost to the combat power of novice cultivators.

"Thank you all, thank you."

Li Chunfeng solemnly cupped his hands in greeting, then summoned the now greatly transformed Mosquito Taoist.

(End of this chapter)