Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

The powder from these red umbrella mushrooms only came into contact with the skin, so its medicinal effect was not as strong as if it were ingested directly, but it was still enough to knock out Meng Shuisheng and his group.

Needless to say, the crocodile lying on the shore, covered in wounds, had become riddled with scars after a long battle. The medicine powder entered through its wounds, and the crocodile could no longer even wiggle its tail. It could only stare at Xu Lingguang with its turbid yellow vertical pupils.

Only after confirming that both sides were unable to move did Xu Lingguang cautiously disembark from the airship.

He first circled the crocodile. It was enormous; its length, including its tail, was almost twice his height. Its barbs looked hard and sharp. Xu Lingguang cautiously touched one, and the crocodile immediately let out a threatening growl.

However, it was injured and poisoned, so it couldn't resist at all and could only whimper like a sick cat.

Living creatures cannot be stored in the Sumeru Ring; the crocodile must be killed first.

Xu Lingguang glanced around and his eyes fell on the sword in Meng Shuisheng's hand.

The sword looked good; its blade gleamed coldly and appeared very sharp. Xu Lingguang strode over and drew the sword from Meng Shuisheng's hand.

Meng Shuisheng was drugged, his limbs were numb and weak, and his consciousness was sometimes clear and sometimes hazy. The figures in front of him were distorted and overlapping. It took him a while to recognize Xu Lingguang. He slurred and mumbled, "You, you dare! I won't let you go."

Due to the effects of the toxicity, his language system was clearly confused. Xu Lingguang took a moment to realize that what he was saying was "I will not let you go."

Xu Lingguang had heard this sentence from him countless times, so he wasn't particularly afraid.

He looked down at Meng Shuisheng, sword in hand, the tip of the sword tracing a line across his face. He said very seriously, "If I were a native of this world, based on what you just said, my body would already be cold."

His words distorted into incomprehensible jumble when they reached Meng Shuisheng's ears, but he could still discern the chilling feeling of the sword pressed against his vitals. Meng Shuisheng panicked immediately: "My father, my father, he will, he will avenge me."

Xu Lingguang chuckled coldly: "Your father is definitely not as fast as my sword."

Meng Shuisheng fell silent, her eyes trembling, as she struggled to move her numb limbs to hide behind the others: "Don't, don't kill me."

Xu Lingguang was just trying to scare him to vent his anger. He didn't have the guts to actually kill anyone. He had killed plenty of chickens, ducks, and fish, but the thought of killing a living person made his scalp tingle.

But he had tolerated Meng Shuisheng many times, and now that he had such a good opportunity, when else would he get revenge?

So he held the sword to Meng Shuisheng's throat and said, "Don't want to die? Then apologize."

Meng Shuisheng looked humiliated, but his will to survive clearly prevailed. After his expression changed repeatedly, he could only grit his teeth and honestly apologize: "I'm sorry."

Although the apology was mostly insincere, Xu Lingguang vented his anger and then walked towards the crocodile with his sword.

The crocodile was already on the verge of death due to the effects of the red umbrella mushroom powder. Xu Lingguang circled it with his sword before finding a suitable spot to strike and finally delivered a swift blow to the crocodile.

Xu Lingguang didn't know how long the medicinal properties of the red umbrella mushroom could hold off Meng Shuisheng and his group, so he didn't dare to deal with the crocodile's carcass on-site and waste time. Instead, he put the entire crocodile into his storage ring.

After collecting his spoils, he approached Meng Shuisheng and his group, ready to deal with them.

He first took the Sumeru rings off the hands of the several people.

The Sumeru Ring not only serves two purposes—storing items and sensing nearby magical artifacts and treasures—it also acts as identification for participants.

The Hundred Refinements Competition is not a resource contest. Except in special circumstances, cultivators rarely fight to the death. The winner in a battle usually only needs to take away the loser's Sumeru Ring, and the loser will naturally lose the qualification to participate and be eliminated.

Those who are eliminated no longer need to stay on the Spirit Inquiry Slope; they can directly activate the teleportation array to leave.

After Xu Lingguang put away the Sumeru Ring, he planned to run away.

But as he was leaving, he noticed that Meng Shuisheng was staring intently at him, her eyes like those of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

Xu Lingguang frowned, thinking that given Meng Shuisheng's personality, she would definitely try to find a way to take revenge on him afterward. Although he had used the Transformation Pill, there was no guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen.

We need to find a way to prevent Meng Shuisheng from making any rash moves.

However, given the limited resources available to him, what could he possibly have to threaten a spoiled brat like Meng Shuisheng?

Xu Lingguang stared at Meng Shuisheng, his eyes darting around for a moment before he came up with a good idea.

He approached with a smile.

Meng Shuisheng had no time to conceal her sinister gaze. Caught off guard, she met his gaze and could only hurriedly lower her eyes to hide the resentment within.

Xu Lingguang didn't care. He dragged the weak Meng Shuisheng out alone and started to take off his clothes.

Meng Shuisheng was stunned at first, then panicked: "W-what are you going to do!"

He desperately tried to push Xu Lingguang away with his numb and powerless limbs.

But Xu Lingguang had already made up his mind to get some leverage over him, so he turned the man over face down, pressed him to the ground, and stripped him completely naked.

Meng Shuisheng, who had been pampered and adored since childhood, had never suffered such humiliation. Her face flushed red with anger and fear, and her eyes reddened: "A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!"

Xu Lingguang thought to himself, "I don't want to humiliate you, but I don't dare to kill you. You also have a powerful father, so I have no choice but to resort to this tactic."

After stripping Meng Shuisheng naked, he turned his attention to the four Hidden Sword Sect disciples who were following Meng Shuisheng. Ignoring the angry and fearful gazes of these cultivators, he stripped them naked as well, and then piled them together with Meng Shuisheng in a very offensive pose.

Xu Lingguang squinted and took out a small bead. He had picked it up on the road. It was just an ordinary bead, and it was only pretty to look at.

But this is where it comes in handy.

Xu Lingguang held up the bead and waved it in front of Meng Shuisheng, grinning as he said, "I just happened to pick up a recording bead on the way. I recorded all your lewd acts with it. If you don't want me to spread the images from the recording bead all over the Shangyang Continent, you'd better give up the idea of ​​seeking revenge against me, understand?"

"Otherwise, even if I die, I will share this amazing scene with you in my last moments, making you famous and successful."

Meng Shuisheng glared at him with red eyes, seemingly wanting to threaten him, but she quickly remembered Xu Lingguang's various methods and could only swallow her words back, saying humiliatingly, "I...I understand."

After threatening him, Xu Lingguang left.

With this "handle" in hand, even a proud young master like Meng Shuisheng, who cares about his reputation, would likely have some reservations even if he was resentful and wanted revenge.

And it's such an embarrassing thing, you can't even tell your own father, right?

He wasn't afraid of Meng Shuisheng alone; as long as he didn't shake his father's position, everything was negotiable.

Xu Lingguang had solved a major problem. After controlling the flying boat to escape to a distance, he found a secluded mountain hollow to rest.

He encountered several cultivators along the way, all of whom seemed to be lone cultivators fighting alone, but he didn't meet a single person from Nine Revolutions Manor. He was a little frustrated and could only proceed at his own pace for now.

He's run out of red umbrella mushroom powder; he needs to find more things to save his life before setting off again.

Xu Lingguang took the fresh crocodile carcass out of his Sumeru Ring.

He examined the crocodile carefully, and the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

Its scales were hard, and it had backward-pointing bony spikes on its head, back, and tail. The end of its tail was spindle-shaped. He vaguely remembered seeing these features somewhere before, but he had read too many books and notes, and it took him a long time to recall that this crocodile seemed to be a spiny-tailed crocodile.

The spiny-tailed crocodile is naturally different from the ordinary crocodiles seen in the zoo in my previous life.

It is said that this type of crocodile can grow to the size of a small mountain, and its scales are impervious to blades and spears; even a cultivator at the Divine Realm might not be able to pierce its scales with a full-force attack. Its flesh is also extremely poisonous, making it a very precious material for refining weapons and pills.

However, because this spiny-tailed crocodile is not only highly defensive but also very intelligent and cunning, it is generally very difficult to hunt.

The one in front of him was clearly not big enough yet, otherwise it wouldn't have been surrounded and beaten to the point of near death by Meng Shuisheng and the others, and then he managed to snatch it up.

Xu Lingguang was overjoyed to find that what he had stolen was such a good thing.

He can't forge weapons, but he can refine pills!