In the war between humans and demons, it's not unreasonable for me to absorb demonic energy, is

"Why did you come so early?"

Fan Tong opened the door and was quite surprised to see Meng Yao and Bi Luo standing outside.

"Didn't I say I was going to give you a surprise yesterday?" Mengyao smiled gently, her smile warmer than the rising sun.

"Oh? I wonder what this is?" Fan Tong led the two into the courtyard and took the small package that Meng Yao handed over.

"It's all because Senior Sister Mengyao saw that you didn't have a decent martial arts technique in yesterday's competition, so she went back and got you a martial arts manual!"

Biluo said somewhat indignantly from behind, clearly indicating that obtaining martial arts skills was not an easy process.

"It's nothing, take a look first!" When Mengyao saw Fan Tong's expression, she first glared at Biluo, and then quickly comforted Fan Tong.

"Given the Fengqing Sect's control over martial arts techniques, it's extremely difficult for them to give me any techniques!" Fan Tong was naturally not fooled by Meng Yao.

"Hehe, it really wasn't easy. I originally wanted to impress my master by having you win the competition yesterday, but he absolutely refused."

"Strangely, after only a short while, he casually tossed me this 'Dragon Elephant Skill' and told me to use it for you to practice."

"He also told me to pass on a message: if you dare to embarrass your father again, he'll personally come and deal with you!"

Mengyao recounted the process of asking for the cultivation technique with a puzzled look on her face, clearly not understanding why her master had changed so drastically.

Fan Tong's heart trembled slightly upon hearing Meng Yao's words. On one hand, he was deeply moved by the legacy of his father, and on the other hand, his secret learning of martial arts techniques had clearly caught the attention of some people in the sect.

"No matter what, since Master Shen You was willing to give me his martial arts skills, I have to thank him. Don't worry, I won't let him down, and I certainly won't disappoint you!" Fan Tong patted his chest and made a solemn promise to Meng Yao.

"Ugh! There's a stench of romance about us, it's unbearable! It's like a devastating blow to this single dog!"

Seeing the two gazing deeply into each other's eyes, Biluo couldn't help but shiver.

"When I find you a partner, you won't feel so bad anymore!" Fan Tong turned around and tapped Bi Luo on the head, jokingly saying.

"No way! I want to cultivate diligently and follow Senior Sister Mengyao to see the splendor of the cultivation world!"

Biluo hurriedly shook her head, her little head bobbing up and down.

"Alright! We're off now, or Master will scold us again! I'll continue my seclusion until the celebration. You should also cultivate diligently; the sect will be making some big moves later, and participating in them will greatly benefit your cultivation!"

Mengyao exchanged a few more words with Fan Tong, then said goodbye and left the warehouse.

Watching Mengyao and the other woman disappear into the distance, Fan Tong finally turned his gaze away and looked down at the "Dragon Elephant Skill" in his hand.

"From now on in the sect, we'll use you as our primary, overt martial art! We'll save our trump cards for last!"

After finishing his preparations, Fan Tong dismissed Li Lianying, who had come to congratulate him, and then entered a meditative state.

With only half a month left until the celebration, he didn't plan to go out on missions anymore, since he needed to have some combat power that he could show off within the sect.

However, he did not disrupt his rhythm and instead focused on studying and practicing the Breath Concealment Technique.

After three more days of dedicated study, he had finally mastered the art of concealing his breath and no longer needed to practice it, thus reaching a state of great accomplishment.

Fan Tong stood up, stretched his somewhat stiff body, and then activated the Concealing Breath Technique, causing his appearance to change instantly.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into the shape of a small snake, though his body shape and height were slightly different.

"It seems my cultivation level is still insufficient; the spiritual energy I can mobilize isn't enough to adjust my figure and height. However, this is already quite impressive!"

Fan Tong carefully observed his transformed appearance through the water vat and was very satisfied with the effect of the concealment technique.

"I've been here for three or four days, I'll go out for a stroll!" Fan Tong didn't restore his appearance, and walked towards Li Lianying's house.

Arriving at the gate of Li Lianying's courtyard, Fan Tong felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to Li Lianying humming a song in his shrill voice.

"You're in a good mood, so I'll give you something exciting!" Fan Tong stood at the tightly closed courtyard gate and kicked it open!

"Ah! Who is it?" The sharp shout made Fan Tong's ears ring, but the scene in front of him made him even more embarrassed.

"You brat, you've got some nerve! You dare kick your uncle's door?" Li Lianying wiped the foam from her eyes, opened them, and saw that it was Ma Xiao. She then scolded him angrily.

"Uh, hehe, your butt's pretty white! Haha..."

Seeing that he had caused trouble, Fan Tong sighed and quickly ran outside!

"You brat, you're asking for it!" Upon hearing this, Li Lianying threw the water ladle in her hand at Fan Tong, who was running away.

"Something's not right. There's something off about this kid's clothes and posture!" Li Lianying realized that there was something wrong with the crayfish in front of her when she saw Fan Tong run far away.

"Could this outfit belong to that scoundrel?"

……

"Hey Ma Xiao, what are you running around for?" Unfortunately, I ran into someone I knew on the street.

"The weather's nice today, so I'm going for a run here!" Fan Tong said jokingly. Luckily, he had heard Ma Xiao speak before and could imitate Ma Xiao's voice.

"You truly are worthy of being Steward Li's nephew! You were so tired last night, yet you still managed to go for a run today! Haha..."

"But I must say, that junior sister is really thriving! In just one night, you've grown quite a bit taller, like you've been fertilized with farmyard manure!"

Ma Xiao's acquaintance said with a joking expression, his tone full of lewdness.

"Hey! Right, let's go check out the excitement!" The man was probably familiar with Ma Xiao, as he grabbed Fan Tong and headed towards the First Martial Arts Arena!

"What's going on? What's all the commotion?" Fan Tong asked curiously. He had been in seclusion for several days; had something happened?

"The celebration is just a few days away, isn't it? Some sects in the Northern Region have arrived at their sects early, and since they have nothing else to do, the disciples from each sect are holding friendly matches in the First Martial Arts Arena!"

"Oh? This is quite interesting!" Fan Tong also wanted to take the opportunity to see how strong the disciples of other sects were, so he quickly started walking over.

"It's nothing special. Right now, it's mostly disciples at the Human Spirit Realm competing; everyone's just having fun. But if the other four major sects come along, things might not be so simple!"

Ma Xiao, an acquaintance, pouted, looking rather unhappy, clearly having suffered a loss in the previous competition.

"Why is that?" Fan Tong asked curiously. The five major sects were the top tier of the Northern Region; could there be some unsavory dealings among them?

"Didn't Steward Li tell you? The Northern Region Championship, which takes place once every twenty years, is about to begin. This is a major event concerning the ranking of sects in the Northern Region, so it can't be simple!"

"Oh! Old Li's gotten a bit senile lately, he doesn't want to tell me anything! Tell me in detail, and I'll treat you to a drink later!"

"You said it yourself, simple drinking won't do, I need to have a full course!"

The acquaintance immediately perked up and began to talk non-stop.

As they spoke, the two quickly arrived at the first martial arts arena!

"Is your Fengqing Sect out of people? How come you don't have a single one who can fight?"