Chapter 31: The Mysterious Girl

Seeing all this, the Ancient White Tiger was stunned. The golden core condensed by Xiao Chen was actually blood red.

A few minutes later, when the brilliant blood light disappeared, Xiao Chen could be seen staring at his hands in shock, his face full of disbelief.

"Xiao Chen, are you... are you okay?" The Ancient White Tiger asked, also shocked, worrying that the blood light might have caused some abnormal changes in Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen stared blankly at his hands. After a long while, he said in disbelief, "Did I... did I break through to the Golden Core stage? Wasn't I unconscious just now? How did I succeed? Was that blood light divine blood?"

Hearing Xiao Chen speak normally, the Ancient White Tiger breathed a sigh of relief and approached, saying, "It was indeed the divine blood in your body. It scared me. The divine blood helped you condense a blood-colored golden core. You couldn't withstand it, but maybe the divine blood intended to help you form a stronger golden core. This blood-colored core contains immense power!"

Hearing this, Xiao Chen nodded and then smiled, "Great, no matter the color, I'm now a Golden Core stage cultivator!"

Seeing Xiao Chen so happy, the Ancient White Tiger also laughed, "Yes, after your hard cultivation, you finally broke through to the Golden Core stage. Though you're still one level weaker than me, haha."

"It doesn't matter. Who is stronger or weaker between us doesn't matter. What's important is that we're good friends!" Xiao Chen laughed, clenching his fists. Feeling the overwhelming and powerful energy within him, he couldn't help but feel delighted, "My current power is so much stronger than in the fasting stage. The Golden Core stage is truly incredible."

"Xiao Chen, breaking through to the Golden Core stage means you can now comprehend flying skills! Plus, you can cultivate the powerful movement techniques of the Ghost Shadow Divine Art!" The Ancient White Tiger said.

"Indeed, this will take my strength to a new level! Haha." Xiao Chen laughed, feeling increasingly excited at the thought of flying.

However, his excitement soon faded, and he frowned, "Flying skills are not easy to comprehend. Am I being too optimistic?"

"Don't rush. Let things flow naturally." The Ancient White Tiger smiled.

"You're right. Since I've broken through, it's time to start alchemy." Xiao Chen smiled. Over the past year and more in the Monster Beast Mountains, he hadn't forgotten about alchemy.

Although he couldn't yet refine powerful pills, he had successfully made Return Essence Pills and Snow Jade Spiritual Pills, now being a first-tier alchemist.

Every time Xiao Chen finished his cultivation, he spent two hours on alchemy, each session improving his soul power. He also picked many herbs in the Monster Beast Mountains, gaining considerable knowledge about them.

Currently, Xiao Chen was still refining the Return Essence Pills and Snow Jade Spiritual Pills. He needed to master these before moving on to other pills, as these were the only ones he could refine at the moment.

After two hours, Xiao Chen stopped his alchemy and tidied up, smiling slightly, "Haha, my soul power has increased a bit again, not bad!"

"Xiao Chen, let's go. It's time to leave the cave! We can leave the Monster Beast Mountains and head to the capital." The Ancient White Tiger said, wagging its tail and wings excitedly at the thought of the capital.

Xiao Chen used his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings, then smiled, "The white monkey is gone. Let's go out now. If we encounter it, I'll play with it and see how strong I've become."

Xiao Chen left the cave and came to the entrance. The Ancient White Tiger had already entered his storage ring. Xiao Chen stepped on a rock and leaped into the air, swiftly climbing the cliff with a few agile steps, finally performing a few front flips and landing steadily, his movements perfect.

"Let's go!" Xiao Chen laughed, his body light and agile as he quickly ran, disappearing into the complex mountains within a few breaths.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Xiao Chen's nimble body leaped from tree to tree in the mountains, each leap covering over ten meters. His speed was so fast that the air seemed to crack.

"Xiao Chen, your speed has increased!" The Ancient White Tiger said, its voice filled with amusement. Compared to his speed during the fasting stage, this was a huge improvement.

"Hehe, once I cultivate the Ghost Shadow Divine Art, I'll be even faster! I've memorized the cultivation methods of the Ghost Shadow Divine Art, and now I can practice its steps using the mountains." Xiao Chen laughed. Although it seemed he was jumping randomly from tree to tree, he was actually practicing the steps of the Ghost Shadow Divine Art.

"So that's it. Lay the foundation first before cultivating." The Ancient White Tiger laughed.

"But following the steps of the Ghost Shadow Divine Art feels a bit strange, haha." Xiao Chen laughed, but he didn't mind. Perhaps powerful movement techniques were just like this.

"Roar!"

"Ah!"

While Xiao Chen was focused on practicing the Ghost Shadow Divine Art, an extremely violent roar he had never heard before suddenly rang out, shaking the forest and startling him so much that he fell from the tree.

"What kind of sound is that? It's terrifying, almost made my heart jump out." Xiao Chen looked in the direction of the sound, his face filled with shock.

"Xiao Chen, that's the roar of a late Golden Core stage beast, and I sense a few strong presences, also at the late Golden Core stage. One of them is a cultivator!" The Ancient White Tiger said, its voice also filled with astonishment.

"A late Golden Core stage beast? Let's go take a look!" Xiao Chen said, quickly getting up and rushing towards the source of the sound.

Having been in the Monster Beast Mountains for over a year, Xiao Chen had seen the most powerful beast, which was the giant ape at the early Golden Core stage. Now that the Ancient White Tiger mentioned a late Golden Core stage beast, Xiao Chen naturally wanted to see it and also see who was fighting it.

"Xiao Chen, be careful. A late Golden Core stage beast is much stronger than the white monkey! Don't be reckless!" The Ancient White Tiger warned.

"Don't worry! I just want to see how strong a late Golden Core stage beast is. I haven't seen one since coming to the Monster Beast Mountains!" Xiao Chen laughed, having no intention of underestimating the beast. He knew his limits.

Within a few minutes, Xiao Chen, using his incredible speed, arrived at a mountain peak. The roar had come from here.

From a distance, Xiao Chen saw a huge python flying in the air, its massive tail whipping at something rapidly. At a glance, only black streaks flashing by could be seen.

"Hiss!"

Seeing the flying giant python, Xiao Chen gasped in shock, his body trembling slightly with fear.

"So powerful!" Xiao Chen exclaimed, his shock subsiding as he continued to approach.

"Hey! Xiao Chen, don't get too close!" The Ancient White Tiger quickly warned.

"I want to see who's fighting." Xiao Chen said, seemingly having seen something unbelievable, determined to get a closer look.

As he got closer, he saw the figure fighting the giant python in the air. This sight shocked him even more.

"It's a girl! How is this possible? She's at the late Golden Core stage? And she's fighting a late Golden Core stage beast? Her strength is incredible!" Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. The main reason for his shock was the girl's age—she seemed only thirteen or fourteen!

"No way! It's a girl! Xiao Chen, she's about your age, yet much stronger!" The Ancient White Tiger was also shocked. It couldn't believe that the person fighting the giant python, possessing late Golden Core stage power, was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl!

In the sky, the girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, exuded the powerful energy of the late Golden Core stage, her body radiating brilliant golden light. She was blasting golden energy palm prints at the python, each hitting its massive body with a series of explosions.

The girl wore a vibrant blue gauze dress, her face delicate and pink, but very serious at the moment. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, adorned with a delicate hairpin. Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows were a pair of bright, watery eyes, and under her high nose was a small cherry mouth, making her a budding beauty.

The girl's fierce attacks forced the python into constant defense, unable to counterattack, retreating step by step. Seeing this, a bright smile appeared on the girl's serious face, and she said, "I've won!"

However, just as she was rejoicing, the python's tail swept rapidly towards her. Xiao Chen's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Watch out!"

The girl was startled. Before she could look at Xiao Chen, she sensed the python's powerful attack approaching. Her face turned cold, and her figure instantly disappeared.

"Hmph! Trying to sneak attack me?" The girl snorted coldly, channeling powerful true essence and quickly forming mysterious hand seals. Her body radiated golden light, and she shouted, "Heaven and Earth Seal!"

"Buzz!"

A powerful seal formed above the girl, a golden energy seal about ten meters wide, causing the space to vibrate.

"Boom!"

"Roar!"

The powerful energy seal smashed onto the python, exploding with a loud noise. The python let out a miserable cry, being blasted into the mountains below.

"A Heaven-level martial skill! So powerful! Who is she?" Seeing the girl's powerful martial skill, Xiao Chen was once again shocked.